Within Darkness
by Katerina Banecourt
Summary: Just as Faye starts accepting that she has no special magic her world gets turned upside-down when tragedy strikes. Upon discovering the impossible Faye finds herself forced to question everything she thought she knew about herself, her powers and even the Circle. As new dangers abound for them Faye, Cassie and Diana struggle to cope, wondering what's true and what isn't.
1. The Accident

_**Disclaimers:**_ _The story's incarnations of Daxton, Scarlett, Chase and Shane Blackwell (aka Adrian "Hades" McChroi, Tessa "Crow" Craven, Marcus "Viper" Drake and Fallon "Darkyn" Drake) were created by Fate (aka A Forbidden Love), who gave me permission to use them in my story! Furthermore a notable amount of early dialogue and scenes involving Cassie, Melissa, Jake & Charles is based on RP posts between Fate and me.  
 **Summary:**_ _Just as Faye begins accepting that she has no special magic her world gets turned upside-down when tragedy strikes. Upon discovering the impossible Faye finds herself forced to question everything she thought she knew about herself, her powers and even the Circle. As new dangers abound for them Faye, Cassie and Diana struggle to cope with the new situation, wondering what's true and what isn't. But do they really know the truth now? What if there was a reason for Blackwell's deceit? - And what if the full truth is even that much darker?  
 **Pairings:**_ _Faye/Jake, Dawn/Charles, Cassie/OC, Adam/OC, mentions Faye/OC, Diana/Grant; will also refer to previous relationships including Cassie/Adam, Amelia/Blackwell, Dawn/Tom, Dawn/Blackwell, Elizabeth/Charles, Elizabeth/Blackwell  
 **Genres:**_ _Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Drama, Tragedy, Family, Romance, Friendship, Mystery, Supernatural  
 **Spoilers:**_ _contains general spoilers for the show, most notably the episodes "Beneath", "Balcoin", "Darkness", "Medallion", "Crystal" and "Family"  
 **Warnings:**_ _Main character near death. Heavily AUish. Contains non-explicit/non-graphic sexual themes. Some violence. Likely to contain some strong language, such as swearing & profanity. Features some underage drinking and possibly some minor drug use. Will mention minor depression, reckless behavior and possibly self-harm.  
 **Author's Notes:**_ _There are a few bigger changes from canon. Most notably Charles didn't end up in a catatonic state like Heather did - although he absorbed the demons from Eben; Dawn and Kate used the Crystal Skull to destroy them shortly after the events of "Family". The Circle then destroyed the skull, splitting it back into six individual crystals, which are now savely hidden away again. There will be additional changes throughout the story. Anyways, enjoy reading!_

* * *

 **Within Darkness**

 _1\. The Accident_

Driving back towards Chance Harbor she sang along to the music playing on the radio. However, after a while she grew quiet, her fingers starting to drum nervously on the steering wheel, as she was unable to shake the growing feeling that she was being watched, followed by someone - something... Her eyes kept wandering to the rearview and side mirrors, but she couldn't really see anything out of the ordinary. Yet this didn't do anything to soothe her nerves. On the contrary it only served to put her more on edge. And so she kept checking her surroundings every few minutes, her fingers stopping their tapping as her grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly.

As the road made another turn some time later she noticed movement in her peripheral vision, causing her gaze to return to the rearview mirror. She squinted slightly, trying to make out what exactly was moving behind her. Still it took her a few moments to realize it was another car, as by now night had fallen over the winding street back to Chance Harbor and what little light came from the cloud covered sky was further obstructed by the old trees lining the road. It didn't help either that the car's headlights were off... A rather unnerving circumstance in her opinion.

 _"Probably just some stupid, drunk high school seniors or college guys, who think it would be funny to give someone a little scare."_ she thought angrily, trying to reassure and calm herself. She told herself, with everything that had happened throughout the past year, after having to confront demons, witch hunters, and not to forget John Blackwell, she surely had little to worry about from some immature idiots who had watched one too many cheap horror movies. And one thing was certain, if they thought they could scare her, they sure as hell had picked the wrong driver to mess with! Because she would so get back at them for it, she'd make them wish they'd never crossed her path!

However, just as she started to feel her confidence beginning to return her mind was drawn back from her thoughts and she felt a sense of panic grip her when she had to brake entering another downward sloping curve and the brakes didn't react right away. Her heart speeding up she applied more pressure on the brake. But it took another long moment before the car finally began to gradually get slower. Certainly a great deal longer than it should take.

A moment later she shook slightly her head at herself. Nothing was wrong with the car. She was just on edge and probably starting to imagine things. But as much as she tried to convince herself, it did little to keep the bad feeling, that sense of dread and foreboding, from resurfacing, growing even stronger than it had been before. Letting out a sigh she turned her attention back to the car that was still behind her.

For quite a while now the car had kept a steady distance away, neither coming closer nor falling further back. However, after another few minutes it sped up, heading straight toward her's. Quickly the distance between the two cars shrunk and within only a minute, two at the very most, it was level with her own car. Turning momentarily to look at the other car she weighed her options. She could use her magic to blow their tires, but as long as they were so close to her own car doing so wouldn't be without risk for herself. She could accelerate, try to put some distance between them. But she was pretty sure that was precisely what they would expect her to do...

So, instead she hit the brakes, hoping the driver of the other car would need at least a couple of seconds to react. It might be enough time for the distance between the cars to grow enough that she could disable it somehow without risking to crash her own in the process. However, the car didn't slow down as it took the brakes a troubling long time to engage. Too long.

Much too long. And before she could react, or think of anything to do, the stranger's car already came toward hers. _**Fast**_.

She screamed as the force of the other car slamming into the side of her own threw her around in her seat like a rag doll. She looked back at the car which was now behind her again, having fallen back slightly after crashing into her car. However, only a moment or two passed before the driver accelerated, coming speeding towards her again. Just a few moments later they rammed her car again, slamming into the side of the rear and sending her car spinning uncontrollably, swerving and skidding across the lanes. She tried desperately to regain control and get the car to stop, but to no avail. A jolt ran through the car as it ran over something in the road, perhaps a rock or thick branch from a tree, and she could feel the car becoming airborne and slowly turning upside down. Her purse slipped from the front passenger seat, things falling out of it and clattering around the car.

A moment later glass shattered and the metal of the frame groaned as the car smashed forcibly into the asphalt, rolling over several times before finally coming to rest on its roof.

Every fiber, every nerve in her body exploded with blinding, agonizing pain. Wetting her lips, noting a slight coppery taste in her mouth, she tried to cry out for help, but no sound came. She couldn't move. Couldn't breathe, as if there were no more air around her. Her vision blurred and as she was enveloped by darkness, the shadows embracing her almost welcomingly, she got aware of a faint scent of gasoline growing stronger, the first traces of smoke slowly mixing with it.

Panic was rising within her as her heartbeat slowed, its rhythm becoming irregular, and her breathing grew more and more shallow. Her senses rapidly faded as she could feel her body shutting down... The last time she had felt this way she was six years old and drowning in the lake behind her grandpa's house.

Only this time, there would be no one there to rescue her...

* * *

Cassie and Adam had spent most of the day in one of the bigger neighboring towns checking out some stores that sold books about the occult and witchcraft, looking for anything that might help them prepare for the unevitable arrival of Blackwell's other children and the confrontation that would undoubtedly follow.

Over the course of summer break they had started to hang out with each other more often again, even without the rest of the circle present. The awkwardness and tension that had weighed on their friendship following their breakup was slowly beginning to fade. Although there were still moments of awkward silence between them when something, like a comment or gesture, was a little too reminiscent of the short time they had been together, this happened less and less often and wasn't as difficult to deal with as it used to be. Perhaps this was, at least in part, because by now Cassie had resigned herself to the fact that there was no going back to how things were before they had drunk the elixir that had taken away their love for each other. Or well, Adam's love for her. She still perfectly remembered her feelings for him, there still was a part of her that loved him, maybe there always would be. But Adam's love for her was gone, and as painful as it was to accept this, she was doing her best to let go of it and move on. Their friendship was too important to her as that she wanted to jeopardize it by clinging to the past and what they used to have. And, after all, fact was she also had bigger problems to worry about, namely the threat of her dark siblings looming over her and the rest of her circle.

As it started getting late they decided to call it a day and get something to eat before they would head back to Chance Harbor. While they were at a diner eating, they were discussing the books they had found and what else they could do to prepare for confronting the Balcoins.

When they had finished their meal and had paid the check Adam suggested, "We should probably head back now." By now it had already gotten notably dark outside, indicating how late it was.

"Yeah, I think we should." Cassie agreed after briefly checking the time on her phone. She lifted her glass, finishing the rest of her soda, then she rose to her feet, slinging the strap of her bag over her shoulder as she went to follow Adam out of the diner and towards her car.

While making their way to the car Cassie stated, continuing their previous conversation, "I will try once more to talk with Diana. I think she will come around, eventually. I guess, I'll just have to keep trying." She was glad that her sister had recently returned to Chance Harbor, after traveling with Grant throughout most of the summer break. However, so far they hadn't really talked much with each other and Cassie knew that Diana was still reluctant to return to the circle. Upon reaching the car a soft sigh escaped her. She just hoped that her sister wouldn't prove to be too stubborn. They needed her right now, _**she**_ needed her.

As she unlocked the car and opened the driver's side door Cassie froze momentarily, swaying slightly and lifting her right hand to her head, rubbing slightly at her temple as a terrible, bad feeling gripped her, sending chills down her spine. She tried to shake off the sickening sense of dread, but didn't quite succeed. It almost felt like a warning, as if someone was in trouble, or as if something really bad was about to happen...

Having already gotten into the front passenger seat Adam frowned in concern as he noticed the blond's discomfort and how her face notably paled. "Cassie, you're alright?" he asked.

"Hm?" Cassie said, snapping out of her thoughts at his question. Opening her eyes she finally got into the car as well and glancing at Adam, she assured, "Oh, yeah, I'm okay. Just on edge, I guess." Deep down she knew it was more than just being on edge, but she couldn't quite place the source of this awful feeling, nor was she sure how to convey this to Adam, so she chose not to get into it, not wanting him to worry about her.

Adam frowned for another moment, still a little worried about her, but didn't question her answer.

Shutting her car door and putting on her seatbelt Cassie gave Adam a small smile. "Really, Adam, I'm okay. There's just a lot on my mind with everything that's going on." she told him, starting the car and pulling out of the parking spot, before heading back in the direction of Chance Harbor.

For a while they drove in silence, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Cassie was frowning slightly, still trying to find the cause of that bad feeling within her gut. However, eventually she snapped out of her thoughts, noticing something in the road up ahead, and a moment later she slammed on the brakes. "Oh, my God! Adam..." she exclaimed, her eyes on the damaged car that was upturned on the side of the road. And the flames and thick black smoke rising from it. She threw the car into park and looked over at Adam, saying urgently, "We gotta see if we can help." already undoing her seatbelt and pushing her car door open. She felt her heart pounding in her chest. It wasn't just the clear severity of the situation, but there was something disconcertingly familiar about the car, causing a lump to form in her throat. It almost looked like...

"That's Faye's car." Adam stated abruptly, also having gotten out of the car and looking at the wreck, his words confirming what she herself had concluded. His eyes took in the smoke and flames. To make matters worse it seemed the gas tank had been damaged in the crash as a notable amount of gasoline had leaked and pooled around the back of the wreck. "We need to get her out of there." he said, following Cassie towards the other car.

Cassie took in the sight of the gas on the pavement and the spreading fire. "Adam, I can get the fire under control and keep the flames from reaching the gas." she told him, stopping a few steps away from the car. "You focus on getting Faye out!" she called out, narrowing her eyes towards the fire and smoke as she concentrated on putting the flames out, and isolating the damage they caused so that Adam could get Faye safely out of the car.

Adam gave a nod, "Alright." As Cassie kept the fire under control he swiftly headed over to the driver's side door. When he reached the car he quickly opened the door, then crouched slightly so he could look inside. Faye was limply hanging in her seat, only held in place by the seatbelt. He then leaned into the car, reaching one arm towards Faye to catch her when he undid the seatbelt. However, when he tried to open it he found it stuck. He briefly yanked at it, trying to open it, with no result, so he pulled his hand back, moving it instead to get a better hold on Faye, then used his magic to get the seatbelt open. Catching Faye as she was no longer held to the seat he freed her from the seatbelt and pulled her carefully out of the car.

He hooked his arms under Faye's, lifting her up, and pulled her away from the car. Once a safe distance away from the burning wreck he rested her on the ground. He knelt down beside her and stretched out a hand toward Faye's throat to check her pulse. It took him a moment to find one, and when he did it was very weak. Her breathing was barely noticeable. Taking in the sight of all the blood a worried frown appeared on his face. "We need to get her to a hospital." He doubted that Faye had enough time left to wait for an ambulance...

Once Adam had gotten Faye out and retreated from the car Cassie stopped her efforts, tearing her gaze from the wreck and quickly headed over to where Adam was now crouching beside Faye. Upon reaching them Cassie knelt down across from Adam, her eyes taking in Faye's injuries, the blood... The most notable injuries were a laceration running over the right side of Faye's forehead, just below the hairline, and a gash-like wound at the left side of her abdomen, which were both bleeding steadily, profusely.

"You drive. I can try and use my magic to keep her alive long enough for us to get her to the hospital." Cassie told him decidedly. She knew doing so would take its toll on her, using her dark magic always did. But it was the only way she saw to ensure Faye would get to the hospital in time. And although she and Faye still had their issues she was determined to do whatever she could to help save her.

She then placed a hand over Faye's forehead, focusing her energy, and the dark magic within her, in order to sustain Faye's life long enough. "Faye... you gotta work with me too." She grumbled, focusing on the other girl as her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

She knew the risk, already she could feel it taking its toll and weaving more darkness into her body with each passing second. Dark magic could either sustain life, or take it, and right now she was using her darkness to sustain her friend the best she could.

Adam frowned slightly at her words, knowing that she was talking about using her dark magic, but nodded, knowing that it was their best shot at saving Faye. So rather than questioning her on the matter he gave a nod. "Okay." He then headed over to Cassie's car, already opening the door in the back so they could get Faye in.

Faye wasn't sure how long she had been in pitch black darkness when something changed... There was a voice saying her name. There had been other voices in the darkness, whispering and murmering, some were almost sounding as if they were chanting, yet others were crying out or screaming. Not all of them were in English, some sounded French, Spanish, yet some spoke in languages too foreign to her to place, a few even sounded strangely ancient. This voice was different though. Somehow familiar... It almost seemed to beckon to her.

Cassie could feel that Faye was fading quickly, that if she failed they would lose her irrevocably. She knew she would have to somehow amplify her magic in order to keep the darker haired girl from slipping from her grasp. Focusing harder she called out, "Adam, my bag! In the front pocket is a safety pin, I need it!"

Adam had just turned to head back to the girls. At Cassie's words he paused and stepped back to the car, quickly leaning into the back and grabbing Cassie's bag from behind the driver's seat. Opening the front pocket he reached inside, rummaging momentarily through the couple of items inside, but luckily found the pin fairly quickly. Once he had found it he put the bag aside and made his way to Cassie. When he had reached them he crouched down and handed the pin to the blond.

Without allowing her focus to stray, Cassie took the pin and pricked her right index finger, causing it to bleed as she drew forth more of her magic to get Faye into at least a semblence of alive so that they could get her to the hospital.

"Come on Faye, stay with us." she said, now using the combined force of her blood and the dark magic coursing within her veins to amplify her magic as she chanted the spell within her mind.

Adam watched with concern, taking note of the tension on Cassie's features, indicating the strain this was putting on her. However, it seemed to work as after another moment Faye's breathing became a little stronger, although it was still notably labored. Faye's lips twitched then, her eyelids moving slightly, though they remained closed. The fingers of her right hand twitched slightly as well, almost as if she were trying to move her hand, but didn't have enough strength. He crouched down across from Cassie, moving to pick Faye up and carry her to the car.

Cassie continued to chant, nodding to Adam as she stood up and moved along with him intending to stay with Faye. She would keep the chanting up within her mind, and hopefully she would be able to keep her alive until they got to the hospital.

She knew she could keep it up, for as long as necessary, now that she was tapping into blood magic as well as her dark magic, and she knew that she won't regret using her powers this way. She wanted to get things done, fix her friends in order to help them and herself so that they could defeat the Balcoins.

Adam carried Faye to the car, carefully resting her in the back when he reached it. After Adam had rested Faye on the backseat Cassie got into the back as well, continuing her efforts. Noticing once more the blood pouring from the wound in Faye's abdomen she pressed her left hand on the wound, trying to slow the bleeding, as her other hand remained on Faye's forehead.

Meanwhile Adam quickly closed the door and walked around the car, getting into the driver's seat. He started the car and began to quickly drive in the direction of the hospital, keeping barely within the speed limit, but still driving with caution.

Luckily, after only a few minutes they reached the hospital. Adam drove right up to the entrance of the ER. He quickly turned off the engine before jumping out of the car and making his way around to the door in the back. He let Cassie out of the car before picking up Faye. Once he had gathered the dark haired girl in his arms he turned to the entrance of the hospital, quickly heading towards it. Entering the hospital he called out, "We need some help! Our friend was in a car accident."

Cassie continued to keep her chanting up inside her head, not daring to let Faye slip from their grasp until she knew that the doctors would be able to handle things. She stood close to Adam and Faye, one hand reaching out to touch onto Faye to show her concern. "Please help her!" she pleaded as a nurse came rushing over.

"Get me a gurney! Prep the OR, too! And get a doctor here!" the nurse called, looking over Faye closely. "A car accident? It's a good thing you guys found her then." she said, smiling as she patted both Adam and Cassie on the shoulder. She then inspected Faye, checking her pulse level and notable injuries.

Cassie looked at Adam, nodding her head once as she focused her attention back on Faye while the nurse checked their friend out closely. She was going to be alright. Faye had to be alright no matter what. Their friends needed to know about this as well, and after they were sure Faye was taken care of they would call them.

"You should probably notify the fire department. Part of the car was burning and the gas tank was leaking." Adam said with a frown as he watched the nurse assessing Faye's injuries. He imagined that by now the complete car wreck was probably burning, being as they had merely kept the fire under control rather than actually extinguishing it.

Faye's vitals were quite weak, as the only thing keeping her breathing and her heart beating at the moment was Cassie's magic. While checking the pupils the nurse noticed a slightly delayed reaction, a strong indication for a head trauma such as a concussion, or something more severe like a subdural hematoma. The labored breathing and the traces of blood as Faye coughed indicated a possible injury of the lungs. The gash on her abdomen was rather deep. There were also signs there might be internal bleeding. In addition there were numerous contusions and minor lacerations. Her left arm looked as if it might be broken.

Meanwhile a dark haired female doctor came towards the gurney that Faye had been placed on. When she reached them and was informed of the girl having been in an accident she asked the nurse for her findings, then checked on her as well. Eventually she instructed, "I want x-rays of the skull, cervical vertebrae and torso, as well as the left ulna and radius. And then prep her for surgery."

Cassie found herself swaying slightly as she still focused on keeping Faye alive, she staggered and leaned against Adam, but she wouldn't stop using her magic, despite the evident nose bleed that it was causing. Dark magic and blood magic had a toll, and it was starting to weigh heavily on Cassie. Yet she couldn't stop, she won't, not until she knew Faye would pull out of this alive.

The nurse nodded her head quickly, pushing the gurney with Faye upon it back towards the x-ray room. "You two will have to stay here, someone will be out with news for you soon." she said, disappearing into the back with Faye. The nurse took her to the x-ray room, while another nurse prepared the OR for surgery. A while later, after the various x-rays the doctor had requested were completed, they wheeled Faye, who was now in a surgical gown, into the OR for surgery.

There were heart rate monitors, blood pressure cuffs, and various machines and IVs attached to Faye in order to keep her alive while they worked on her. Cassie couldn't stop thinking about keeping Faye alive though, and she knew that, if she didn't let up on the magic soon, she herself would end up back there alongside Faye. Yet her eyes were dead set on the doors Faye had vanished behind, her spells still being chanted within her mind as her nose bled a bit more.

Adam noticed how Cassie's nose started to bleed as she swayed slightly and leaned against him. He quickly put an arm around her to steady her. When they took Faye into the OR he looked back at Cassie and told her quietly, "Cassie, you can stop now. They will take care of Faye." It wasn't going to help anyone if Cassie wore herself completely out using her dark magic. And he was sure the doctors and nurses would be able to handle things from there.

A few moments after they had taken Faye into surgery another nurse approached them. When she had reached them she asked gently, "Could you tell me your friend's name and who to contact?"

Cassie slowly stopped doing the spell in her mind, leaning fully against Adam as she placed a hand over her bleeding nose. "Faye ... Chamberlain." She said softly, trying to hide the weakness and exhaustion from her voice. She had done everything she could in order to keep Faye alive while they got her here, and hopefully it had been enough. She looked up at Adam, knowing they had to call the rest of the circle, get them all here as quickly as possible.

"Her mother is Dawn Chamberlain, contact her." She jotted down the number, and held it out towards the nurse as she knew that soon enough Faye's mother and the rest of the circle would all be there at the hospital with them.

"Alright." the nurse said as Cassie handed her the piece of paper with the phone number. After a moment she asked gently, noticing the paleness on Cassie's face, "Are you alright, dear?" She knew from years of experience in the ER how much of a toll shock could take.

Cassie quickly composed herself, "I'm fine, just a headache and worry." she said quickly, knowing that she probably looked like hell from the use of dark magic combined with blood magic. No doubt the rest of the circle would have something to say about it, and she figured even Faye's mother might have something to say on the subject as well.

"We're going to go make a few phone calls." she said, nudging Adam to start moving since she could barely stand on her own. She continued to lean against him, balancing herself against him as she slowly regained her composure.

The nurse nodded, then headed back to her desk to call Faye's mother and the police.

Meanwhile Adam kept his arm around Cassie, leading her towards the waiting area, which was at this time almost completely deserted, so Cassie could sit down. He was worried about her, knowing what a toll using her dark magic tended to have on Cassie. When they reached the waiting area he led Cassie to one of the chairs, before offering, "If you want I can call Diana..." He wasn't sure if Cassie felt she could talk with her sister right now, but he would leave the decision to her.

Cassie practically collapsed into the chair, laying her head back against it as she groaned. "No, I'll call her. We need to get everyone here, now. It's not a matter of whether they want to... One of our own has been hurt and nearly killed. Something is wrong, I know it, and we need the entire circle here to help Faye." she said, pulling out her phone but pausing before she would call Diana. She reached out and took hold of Adam's hand.

"Thank you, for supporting me during all of this... I know what it must look like while I'm using it, but I didn't see any other way." she told him, placing a hand on her forehead slightly.

"Alright, I'll call Jake and Melissa then." Adam replied. When Cassie took his hand he gave it a reassuring squeeze and told her, "I know." he then added, "And you're welcome. That's what friends are there for, after all."

He then also pulled out his cell phone and started dialing Melissa's number, figuring he'd call her first.

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes:**_ _Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Feedback would be very much appreciated._


	2. Needing Comfort

_**Author's Notes:**_ _Here's the second chapter, one day later than planned. Just didn't get around to posting it yesterday. Anyways, enjoy reading! :)_

* * *

 **Within Darkness**

 _2\. Needing Comfort_

Dawn had gone to bed early, due to a mild headache, which had been plaguing her most of the day. She hadn't been surprised, let alone worried, when Faye hadn't been home by dinner, considering that she had known her daughter would likely head to Melissa's on the way back from the lake house and possibly sleep over there.

She wasn't sure how long she had been sleeping when the phone started ringing and woke her up. Picking up the phone receiver from the nightstand she sat up and answered the call. As she did so she took a brief glance at the alarm clock and noting that it was already way past eleven she wondered briefly who would call this late, and she could feel a trace of concern building within her. Still, what she heard took her by surprise and she visibly paled as she listened.

"Misses Chamberlain, this is Alicia Clarke, I'm a nurse at the Chance Harbor Hospital." a female voice told her, clearly trying to deliver whatever bad news she had as gently as possible, "I'm calling about your daughter, Faye Chamberlain? She was involved in a car accident."

For a moment Dawn was too shocked to speak, then she asked, "How- how is she?"

"She's in surgery right now." the nurse replied matter-of-factly, yet without sounding cold.

Dawn listened to the rest of what the nurse had to say, then she told her, "I'll be right there." She then hung up and got out of bed, quickly getting dressed.

Only a few minutes later she stepped out of the house and got into her car, starting to drive into the direction of the hospital.

* * *

Upon arriving at the hospital Dawn parked near the building, then quickly made her way inside, barely taking the time to lock the car. Inside she headed straight to the nurse's station to find out how Faye was doing.

When she had reached the triage desk she spoke to the nurse sitting there, telling her, "My name is Dawn Chamberlain. I'm looking for my daughter, Faye. She was in a car accident." She spoke with far more calm than she truly felt.

"She is still in surgery at this time. According to the information I have here, it will likely still take a while before she will be out. Her condition is serious but stable at the moment." the nurse told the blonde woman in front of her. After a brief pause she suggested kindly, "You can sit down in the waiting area. Someone will be out to talk to you as soon as there's anything new."

Although her first impulse was to press for more information Dawn reluctantly nodded to what the nurse said, thanking the woman before turning to head to the waiting area. Deep down she knew it wouldn't speed anything up to push the hospital staff to answer questions to which they didn't have any proper answers yet.

Approaching the waiting area Dawn caught sight of Cassie and Adam talking to two uniformed police officers. One of them was a young looking woman with black hair, which she had pulled back into a bun at the base of her neck. The other one was a slightly tanned, tall man with light brown hair. He looked to be slightly older than his female colleague. Still a little distance away from the small group, Dawn briefly stopped for a moment as she felt her composure slip slightly, noticing the blood stains on Cassie's clothes and traces of it also on her hands. After another moment, however, she took a steadying breath and continued walking.

"As we understand you were the ones who found your friend and brought her to the hospital," she heard one of the cops currently ask the two teenagers, "Why didn't you call for an ambulance?"

A clearly distraught Cassie frowned slightly at the question, while Adam told the man and his female partner, "We didn't think there was enough time to wait for one. Her pulse and breathing were very weak." Not to mention all the blood...

Looking up Cassie spotted Faye's mother coming towards them. "We didn't want to wait ... our friend could have been dying!" she said a bit louder than she wanted, frustration and sadness clearly seeping into her tone. She didn't want to talk to the cops, there was no rational way that Faye would have survived an ambulance trip to the hospital. She knew they couldn't explain what they had done, no way would the cops understand.

The officers remained silent for a moment, not seeming to take Cassie's tone to heart, probably used to people being upset in these kind of situations and therefore knowing better than to push them.

"Ugh, my head..." Cassie grumbled to herself, looking at the cops and wishing they would just go away for right now. "Is there any way we can pick this up some other time? It's just been a very long day."

The two officers exchanged a look, then the man nodded. "Of course." he then pulled a business card out of a pocket of his uniform jacket, handing it to the blonde girl, telling her, "If you think of anything else, don't hesitate to call. Otherwise someone will get in touch with you in the coming days."

When Cassie nodded at his words he and his colleague turned to leave, but then paused when they saw Dawn. "You're the mother?" the male cop asked.

Dawn gave a brief nod, replying, "Dawn Chamberlain."

"We will have to ask you a few questions as well." he announced, his tone professional, but holding a trace of genuine compassion, "Someone from our department will get in touch with you, once we know more about the accident." and seeing Dawn nod once more he and his colleague took their leave.

"What happened?" Dawn wanted to know, looking back at the two teenagers once the cops had left. Her voice was remarkably calm, given the circumstances, though a trace of a frown crossed her features as she noticed the exhaustion on Cassie's face.

Cassie frowned slightly, glancing momentarily down at her hands as she contemplated how to best answer the question. Her frown deepened as she noticed the still evident traces of blood, which had, despite her best efforts to wash it off, stubbornly remained on her skin. Looking back up a moment later she was about to respond to Dawn's question, but catching sight of Melissa and Diana coming towards them she waited, realizing that her sister and friend would want to know what had happened as well, and at this point she doubted she could face having to repeat it all for another time. Going over it a second time now would already be hard enough...

"Adam! Cassie!" Melissa exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her two friends when she reached them, and then looked up at Dawn, saying a little more formal, "Misses Chamberlain."

Adam hugged Melissa back when she reached them. "Hey Melissa." he greeted her, a trace of exhaustion in his voice.

Meanwhile Diana also hugged Cassie, although slightly more hesitantly than Melissa had been. "Hey." she stated, almost a little awkwardly, which, considering the events earlier in the summer, probably wasn't too surprising. As she pulled back and took in her half-sister's appearance her brows knitted into a deep, concerned frown. "Are you alright, Cassie?" she inquired, noticing how pale the blond was. Had Cassie done magic lately? She looked strained and overexhausted, more so than usual actually. Now she was really getting worried.

Cassie looked at Diana. "I'm okay, thank you." she said, offering a small, reassuring smile to her sister, "A little tired, and worried but alright."

Just then Jake also reached their small group. "Gang's all here... What's going on?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest as he looked at Cassie and Adam.

Cassie frowned slightly, taking in the worried and expectant faces of her friends and Faye's mother for a moment, before taking a breath and telling them, "Adam and I were on our way back to town, when we came across a car accident. We stopped to see if we could help, and that was when we realized it was Faye's car." she paused momentarily, frown deepening, as she remembered the moment of realization and shock. First the fire and smoke, and then all the blood... Shaking herself out of her thoughts she continued, "It was ... bad... Faye wouldn't have made it here alive. So, I used my magic - dark magic, and combined it with a little blood magic ... to ensure that Faye survived until we got her here. It took more out of me than I thought... But it was the only way I saw."

Once she had finished she all but collapsed in the chair behind her, the exhaustion really hitting her. She briefly felt her nose and the small trickle of blood escaping from it. "I'm still not used to using that much magic. Not at once. And to keep Faye alive for as long as I could. ... She'll be okay though, she has to be."

Diana tensed up at what Cassie said, at the mentioning of dark magic. She knew how using her dark magic could affect Cassie. Not only did it strain her, but in some ways it also changed her, making her more susceptible to the darkness, the more malevolent emotions.

After a moment of silence Cassie turned her eyes to Faye's mother, telling her genuinely, "I tried everything to save her, Misses Chamberlain... Adam got us here as fast as he could." Cassie said, looking at everyone as she dabbed at her nose with her sleeve.

Meanwhile Melissa tensed slightly as she looked towards Diana, her thoughts the same on the use of dark magic, especially when it came to Cassie. She could also tell Diana still felt the same on the subject as she had before she had left with Grant.

Dawn gave a slight nod, her lips turning briefly into a tired smile when Cassie told her that she had done her best to keep Faye alive. "I know." she said. Although in her worried state of mind the thought barely registered, it was slightly comforting to know that Faye had friends who looked out for her.

* * *

Charles had been working late, going over some files for a client at his office, and had ended up falling asleep. When he woke up it was already past midnight, so he quickly gathered his things and headed home. Normally he probably would have gone straight to bed upon arriving home, but feeling the need for something to drink he went to the kitchen first.

He had just gotten a bottle of water from the fridge, drinking some of the cool liquid as he went to leave the kitchen and head upstairs, when he noticed a piece of paper on the kitchen island. Setting the bottle down he picked up the note and read it, a deep, worried frown making its way upon his face as he did so. The note was from Diana, telling him that Faye had been in an accident and that she had headed to the hospital.

Still wearing a concerned expression upon his face he put the note back down, then walked out of the kitchen, turning off the light as he went. However, rather than heading for the stairs he made his way to the door, having decided to head to the hospital instead, already to make sure Diana was okay.

It didn't take long before he reached his destination. After parking in the almost vacant lot of the hospital he got out of the car, locking it as he turned to head into the building. Once inside he turned into the direction of the waiting area, and as he neared the room he caught sight of his daughter along with her friends.

Upon seeing her father coming towards them Diana got to her feet, calling, "Dad!" as she went to meet him halfway. When he reached her and wrapped his arms around her she hugged him back. Although things were still complicated, and she hadn't yet fully forgiven him after finding out that he was responsible for the death of Cassie's mother, it still was comforting that he was there.

"Diana." Charles said, before asking, "You're okay?"

Giving a nod Diana pulled slightly back. "I'm alright, just worried." she replied, adding, "Faye's still in surgery."

He gave a slight nod in acknowledgement at his daughter's words. A moment later he frowned slightly, asking, "You know where Dawn is?"

"I think, she went to get coffee a while ago." Diana told her father, as he released her from his hug.

Charles gave a nod at that, saying, "I'll go see if she needs anything, okay?" He could only imagine how worried Dawn must be. He knew that if it were Diana in Faye's place he'd be going crazy with worry.

"Yeah, go ahead. I'll be fine." Diana assured, giving a little smile.

Charles briefly smiled down at his daughter, then turned and went to find Dawn. It didn't take him long before he found her standing by the vending machines, a little distance away from the waiting area, where the kids were. As he approached her Dawn looked up, apparently having heard him, and he could see the worry and exhaustion written on her face. For a moment he wondered if she had cried, noting the redness of her eyes, although that could've just been from tiredness.

"Dawn. I just heard." he said gently, briefly embracing her when he had reached her. "How are you holding up?" he inquired, genuinely concerned for her.

Dawn frowned slightly, contemplating how to respond, eventually she told him, "Worried." she paused a moment, then she said, "Faye's still in surgery."

Charles gave a slight nod. "Diana told me." he replied, then asked, "Do they already know anything?"

"No, nothing aside from it being serious." Dawn stated, then added, knowing what had happened would likely be his next question, "Faye was up at the lake house. She must have lost control over her car on the way back. Cassie and Adam found her and got her here. It must have been quite bad, enough so to prompt Cassie to use dark magic to keep her alive..." As she trailed off a low sigh escaped her, and, closing momentarily her eyes, she lifted one hand, running her fingertips over the side of her forehead.

Charles frowned briefly at the last part. He had already wondered about how Cassie seemed even more exhausted than the rest of her circle. But her using magic to help Faye would certainly explain the strained, worn out state the blonde girl was in... After a moment he looked back at Dawn, offering, "You want me to go check and see if there's anything new yet?" He knew that Dawn probably couldn't handle much more of the waiting right now, not knowing how her daughter was doing. He wouldn't be able to handle it well if it had been Diana in this situation.

Dawn opened her eyes, letting her hand sink as she looked at Charles. She gave a nod. "Yes, please."

Giving a nod Charles said, "I'll be right back." He then headed down the hallway towards the triage desk.

When he had reached it he placed a hand upon the desk as he looked at the nurse sitting on the other side. "Excuse me, I would like to inquire about the status of Faye Chamberlain?" he requested, a polite tone to his words as he tried his best to remain calm for Dawn's sake.

As Charles spoke to her the nurse glanced up, frowning slightly at the question. "Just a moment, I'll check." She typed briefly, her eyes on the screen of her computer. A moment later she looked back at Charles and told him, "She is still in surgery. According to the information I have here it will likely be another few hours. But I can ask if they know something more specific."

Charles looked at her, smiling kindly. "Yes, please, that would be most appreciated. Her mother is quite concerned, as are her friends. We would just like to know the status of her, if she's doing well." he replied.

The nurse nodded. She reached over to the phone on the desk and dialed an internal number. When the call was answered after a moment she told the other person, "It's Alicia. I was wondering, if there is anything new on the condition of Faye Chamberlain." She listened then said, "Yes." Setting the phone receiver aside she said to Charles, "My colleague is checking with the doctor. It might take a few minutes."

While waiting the nurse got momentarily distracted when a new patient arrived, an elderly man with chest pains. She had just called an orderly over, who led the man and his daughter to one of the examination rooms, when the phone beeped indicating her colleague had returned. Picking up the receiver she asked, "Anything?" she listened for a while, a slight frown of concentration on her face, before speaking again. "Alright. Thanks." She hung up, then focused her attention back on Charles. "She's in serious condition. It appears some of her injuries might be more severe than they first thought." After a brief pause she added reassuringly, "Though this isn't entirely uncommon with patients who were in a car accident. However, the surgery is likely to still take some time. They estimate at least another six hours."

Charles gave a nod, thanking the woman before returning to Dawn.

While Charles had been gone Dawn had sat down in one of the chairs across from the vending machines, a cup of coffee in her hands. Upon hearing approaching steps she glanced up and seeing it was Charles she gave him a questioning look, waiting for him to tell her what they had said.

"She's still in surgery, another six or so hours." he told her, placing a hand upon her shoulder with a small sigh. He knew how stressed Dawn must be right now, and he hoped that she would be able to relax once they knew Faye was out of surgery.

At his words Dawn gave a slight nod. "Thanks." she said, referring to him going to check, a tired smile briefly crossing her features.

Charles sat down next to her. "What can I do Dawn?" he asked, leaning back in the seat beside her.

Dawn briefly considered the question. Eventually she sighed, running a hand over her face and tucking a stray strand of hair away. "I don't know..." She didn't even know what she herself could do. And she wasn't sure what was worse, the uncertainty about how Faye was doing, or the feeling of being incapable of helping her daughter. After a moment she looked back at him and told him, "I'm glad you are here, Charles."

Charles smiled softly, nodding his head slightly. "Of course Dawn, I wouldn't dream of leaving you alone in this." he assured, wrapping an arm comfortingly around her shoulders.

"Thanks." Dawn replied quietly, leaning her head against his shoulder as Charles put his arm around her, and briefly closed her eyes.

Charles also closed his eyes, tilting his head to rest on top of Dawn's as they waited.

* * *

Dawn had lost all track of time, though a quick glance at a clock hanging on the wall down the hallway told her it had been a great deal longer than the estimated six hours, when she heard someone approach, causing her to open her eyes and straighten in her seat. Looking up she saw a female doctor approaching them. Watching the tall brunette come towards them Dawn frowned slightly as it took her a moment to recognize the other woman, not having seen her particularly often in the past couple of years. Her name was Samantha Montgomery, an old friend of her, Amelia and Elizabeth...

"How is Faye doing?" Dawn questioned, moving to get up.

Coming to a halt Samantha motioned for Dawn to remain seated, noting the exhaustion on the blond's face. And aside from that not all of what she had to say were good news... "She's in serious condition, but stable. Her vitals are good." She paused for a moment, before adding cautioningly, "However, her injuries were severe and there were some complications during the surgery. She lost a lot of blood and at one point her heart stopped. We were able to bring her back, but I'm afraid she slipped into a coma." Dawn notably paled as she listened, causing Samantha to pause, her brows knitting into a concerned frown. "Listen Dawn, I'm not going to tell you not to worry, because I know it would be impossible. But Faye is strong and otherwise healthy. The coma will be temporary, likely a couple of days - although there is a possibility it might take longer. But once she had some time to recover and regain some of her strength she will wake up."

Charles listened, keeping his arm around Dawn's shoulders as the doctor delivered the news. He recognized her as well, and while he was grateful that she was the one who had taken care of Faye, he still couldn't shake the feeling of concern resting within his gut.

"Thank you, Samantha." he said, looking at Dawn to see how she was holding up.

"Of course." Samantha replied to Charles. She noted that neither of the two asked for details on Faye's injuries, and taking into account the deep concern on Dawn's expression she came to the conclusion that it would be better not to elaborate at this point, knowing it would only add to their concern given the severity of some of the injuries. Although she won't say it aloud, from her own experiences as doctor, particularly in the ER and OR, she knew it came close to a miracle Faye had made it to the hospital alive. Among the list of her many injuries the daughter of her old friend had sustained in the accident were a severe concussion, a fractured skull and subdural hematoma at the back of her head, a hairline fracture of the right clavicle, her left ulna and radius were both broken, she had five cracked ribs, another four were broken, and in addition she had suffered notable internal bleeding, there was also the deep laceration at her lower abdomen, which under closer inspection looked more like a deliberate cut or stab wound, rather than the result of the crash...

Shaking herself out of her thoughts Samantha looked back at Dawn and Charles, telling them, "You can see Faye shortly. She's being moved to a room in the ICU right now." A moment later she turned to leave.

Dawn nodded slightly at that, looking a little more composed again. However, while she did feel a trace of relief and comfort upon hearing that Faye's coma would likely be only temporary, it didn't really lessen her worry. Because she knew there was still a chance Faye won't make it, or simply won't wake up.

Meanwhile Charles had briefly turned to look toward the waiting area, where the kids were. He knew they would want to know about Faye as well. From what he could see, Jake was standing and pacing the room, Melissa was chatting with Diana, and poor Cassie was passed out in a few of the chairs, while Adam looked as if he was about to fall asleep any moment as well. After a moment he looked back at Dawn, rubbing her shoulder lightly as he tried to figure out what he could do.

"Dawn, do you need anything?" he asked finally, not sure what else could be said at this point in time.

Dawn watched Samantha leave, then looked back at Charles when he spoke. She considered his question for a moment. Eventually she gave a slight shake of her head. "No..." A short time later her eyes went to Faye's friends in the waiting room, a small frown making its way upon her features, realizing that there was one thing Charles could do.

"Could you perhaps tell them?" Dawn asked after another moment of silence, almost hesitantly, frankly not being sure she could handle that right now. All she could really think about was going to see her daughter and making sure she would be alright.

Charles nodded as he gave Dawn a small hug, before standing and making his way to the group of kids in the waiting area opposite of where he and Dawn had been sitting. He cleared his throat, looking at each of them. "You might want to wake Cassie." he said, standing there as he ran a hand down his face slowly. It had been a very long day, and everyone was probably exhausted.

Jake looked up, tensing ever so slightly as he waited for the news that would come.

Melissa had stopped talking almost instantly when Charles had approached, reaching over and taking hold of Diana's hand within her own. "Is it about Faye?" she asked, looking over and nudging Cassie ever so softly to wake her.

Cassie gave a small groan, shifting and sitting upright as she rubbed her head. "Are there any news on Faye?" she asked, blinking when she saw Charles standing before them. She straightened up and looked at everyone, wondering how long she had really been out for. Was it just her, or did those hospital chairs get comfier the longer you laid in them? Then again, that impression might just be a result of her exhaustion.

Diana turned toward her father, a small concerned frown on her face. "How is she?" she inquired. Her fingers closed comfortingly around Melissa's hand, knowing all this must be particularly hard on her given how close Melissa and Faye were.

Adam had looked up when Charles reached them. He briefly turned to look at Cassie as Melissa woke her up. He then looked back at Diana's father, waiting like the others to hear how Faye was doing.

Taking in the worry on their faces Charles took a breath. "Faye is in ICU. Her injuries were more extensive than they first thought and she's currently in a coma." he told them, looking at all of them before his eyes stopped on Cassie and Adam. "You two did the right thing getting her here. She's probably still alive, because of whatever quick thinking on your part." He paused for a moment, once again noting the exhaustion on their faces, "It'll take a while for her to recover, but hopefully she'll wake up soon. For now I think you should get some rest."

When he had finished he frowned slightly. "Diana, I'm still going to stay here for a while, see if Dawn needs anything. So, perhaps, you should go with your friends." he suggested as he walked over, kissing his daughter on her forehead when he reached her.

"Okay, Dad." Diana responded with a slight nod to her father's suggestion, hugging him briefly. She then watched as he left, before turning back to her friends when Cassie spoke.

"Well... at least she made it. I'm going to go home and get some rest." the blond said, looking at everyone.

"I can drive you." Adam offered to Cassie, given that she was even more exhausted than the rest of them from her extensive use of dark magic. And, after all, they had come together.

Meanwhile Melissa frowned, looking at Diana and Jake. "There's no use to stick around... We need to get some rest, and Diana you can come over and we'll watch girly movies." she offered as she looked at Diana.

"That sounds good." Diana agreed, looking at her friend with a slight smile. Truth was she didn't want to be alone right now, and she could tell Melissa felt the same.

* * *

While Charles had headed to the waiting area to talk to Faye's friends Dawn had gotten up as well, making her way up to the ICU to check on her daughter.

When she had reached the ICU she headed over to the nurse's desk. Stopping in front of the desk she said to the nurse, "Excuse me, I'm looking for my daughter, Faye Chamberlain. She was brought here from the OR."

The nurse briefly looked over the list of patients currently admitted there, then nodded, getting up. "Please, follow me."

Dawn followed silently as the nurse led her to Faye's room. When the young woman stopped in front of the room Dawn thanked her, giving a polite, albeit exhausted smile. As the nurse went to leave Dawn opened the door and stepped inside. She briefly paused on her way over to the bed as her gaze fell upon her daughter.

Faye was the sole occupant of the room. Lying there surrounded by various medical machines she looked almost frighteningly fragile and pale. It reminded Dawn of when Faye had been born. Having been born slightly prematurely she had been so small and delicate... Yet the worry - anxiety even, she had felt then was nothing to what she felt right now. There was a heart rate monitor tracking her vitals. From a ventilator, also standing beside the bed, a tube led to Faye's mouth, helping her breathe and ensuring that she received sufficient amounts of oxygen. Beside the bed, next to the machines, stood a metal pole with an IV drip leading to her hand and a bag of blood with a tube leading to an intravenous access in the crook of Faye's right arm.

As Dawn reached the bed she let her gaze wander over her comatose daughter, taking note of her various injuries... The top and back of Faye's head was covered in bandages. Three thin butterfly closure strips had been used to close a laceration running over the right side of Faye's forehead, just below the hairline. Her left lower arm was in a cast. The right hand and wrist were bandaged with elastic gauze. The edges of more bandages were visible at the collar of her hospital gown. In addition there were numerous angry bruises and abrasions along with smaller cuts across her arms and face.

"Faye..." Dawn said softly, almost choking on the one word, her eyes filling with tears. Sitting down in the chair beside the bed she raised her right hand to her daughter's face, gently brushing her fingertips over her forehead and cheek for a while. Her eyes still trained on Faye she tried to figure out what to do... She couldn't lose her daughter. Faye was all the family she had left after Tom had died. And while she was sure that the doctors at the hospital, including Samantha, knew what they were doing, she wasn't going to take any chances when it came down to Faye. She didn't have to... And without hesitating she gently took hold of Faye's right hand, closing her eyes, as she started to chant in her mind. To anyone who might enter and didn't know better it may have looked as if she might be praying or was simply trying to keep her composure.

However, after only a few minutes Dawn stopped, her eyes flying open as the beeping of the heart monitor sped up, becoming slightly irregular and hectic. Clearly this wasn't going to help... A heavy sigh escaped her and she briefly ran a hand across her face, angrily brushing the traces of moisture away where tears had trailed over her cheeks. What was the point of having magic again, if she couldn't even use it to help her own daughter?

After a few more minutes she rose to her feet and headed for the door, feeling the need for some more coffee. Stepping out of Faye's hospital room Dawn turned to find the closest coffee machine, but stopped after only a couple of steps when she saw Charles coming toward her.

Charles looked at Dawn, holding out a cup of coffee for her when he had reached her. "Thought you could use this?" he said, offering her a small smile.

"Thanks." Dawn replied, giving a little smile in return as she accepted the cup of coffee.

Charles nodded, "How is she?" he asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Dawn briefly glanced into the room where Faye was resting, trying not to dwell on the fact that she wasn't merely sleeping... Looking back at Charles she let out a soft sigh, "Still the same." She lifted the cup, drinking some of the warm black coffee.

Charles lifted his cup up as well, sipping from it. "Well, why don't we go sit with her for a bit? You can try and rest?" he suggested, knowing she needed to rest as well.

* * *

Faye knew the familiar voice that had called her back had been Cassie's. She didn't so much recognize the voice as that she could feel that it was her, could feel the connection between them... It was this connection which held her faintly suspended between life and death.

Then Cassie was gone and the darkness around her became heavier, encasing and suffocating her. Everything around her went cold as ice. She was dying. She could feel the rest of her body shutting down. Could feel how her breathing stopped. Her heart faltered and ceased to beat. And the pain was gone. She was fading away...

But before she could disappear completely a soft light pushed the darkness slightly back and a semblance of feeling returned to her. She was alive again, albeit only marginally.

Faye didn't know how much time had past when she felt a comforting warmth starting to envelope her. She wanted to hold on to that warmth, but she was too weak.

Only a short time later the warmth started to fade away. Then the darkness and cold returned...

* * *

Dawn considered Charles's suggestion for a moment as she took another long swig of her coffee. Lowering the cup her lips turned into a small, tired smile. She was just about to reply when a high pitched electronic alarm could be heard coming from the machines in Faye's room, causing the forming smile to freeze and disappear as all color drained from Dawn's face. "Oh my God... Faye..." she muttered, momentarily frozen in place, almost dropping her coffee cup.

Meanwhile two nurses came rushing to Faye's room along with a doctor. Only a moment later Samantha came quickly down the hallway. Seeing Dawn move to head inside she paused on her way, stopping the blond. "I'm sorry, Dawn, but you should wait here." she said gently but determined to the other woman.

Dawn bit her lip, but after a moment she gave a reluctant nod, watching wordlessly how Samantha also disappeared in Faye's room.

Charles set his coffee cup down instantly, and pulled Dawn into his arms as he watched it all go down. "It'll be okay, Dawn, just let the doctors do what they need to do." he told her, knowing how much concern Dawn was having for her daughter right now.

Dawn remained silent as Charles wrapped his arms around her. Closing her eyes she leaned her head against his shoulder, quietly allowing him to comfort her, while doing her best to ignore the sounds coming from Faye's room as they tried to save her life. Yet she couldn't keep from flinching slightly at the sound of the defibrilator. She told herself that Charles was right, that it would be okay. She told herself that Faye would make it. But she couldn't quite silence the worry and fear for her daughter that was coursing through her body and mind.

When they had stablized Faye Samantha took a glance at the screens of the ventilator and heart monitor, frowning slightly as she briefly studied the numbers, before taking off her stethoscope to listen to Faye's breathing. Her frown deepened slightly as she did so and, straightening up, Samantha looked at the two nurses and other doctor. "I need a CT of the right lung. And prep everything to take her back into surgery."

The nurses and doctor quickly got to work and only a few moments later they rolled Faye out of the room. Samantha followed after them, but stopped in the hallway to talk to Dawn.

Hearing the door open Dawn pulled away from Charles and turned, watching how they took Faye away. She then turned to face Samantha and wanted to know, "What's going on? What happened, Samantha?"

"The force of the accident caused several ribs to break, one punctured Faye's right lung. It caused the lung to collapse." Samantha told her old friend, adding, "We're going to have to take her back into surgery." She remained silent for a long moment, studying Dawn's face, then suggested gently, "Listen Dawn, it will take a while before Faye will be out of surgery again. Maybe you should head home, get some sleep. I will call you as soon as there's any news."

Charles sighed some, placing a hand on Dawn's shoulder. "Let me drive you home Dawn, that way you can get some rest. We'll come back later." he said, starting to lead her out of the hall and towards the parking lot. He only hoped that Dawn would follow his lead, and he hoped that she would agree to get some rest, because she definitely needed it.

For the briefest moment Dawn considered insisting on staying, but then gave a slight nod, following Charles out of the hospital. She knew Charles and Samantha were right; there wasn't anything she could do at the hospital. She was also aware that she could use some rest. She was beyond exhausted from the combination of being up all night and all the worry she felt for Faye, and her headache had turned into a full scale migraine at this point. Getting some sleep certainly seemed like a good idea...

"Thanks, Charles." Dawn said softly as they stepped outside. Inhaling the fresh air she briefly glanced up at the bright, clear blue sky, and although it was still relatively cool at the moment it crossed her mind that it would be another hot, sunny summer day. However, right now that perspective failed to lighten her mood.

Charles gave a nod, leading Dawn to his car. "Of course Dawn, I'm here to help." he said, opening the passenger door for her before going to the driver's side and getting in. He started the car, waiting until Dawn was in before driving off towards her home.

"I know..." Dawn replied quietly, briefly looking at Charles, giving a small tired smile. She then turned and got into the passenger seat, putting her seatbelt on. As they were driving towards her home she got lost in her thoughts.

Charles pulled up to her home after what seemed like an hour, but was in fact only about thirty minutes. He parked and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "We're here." he announced lightly, giving a sigh as he knew just how troubled the woman beside him undoubtedly was..

As Charles rested his hand on her shoulder and broke the silence Dawn looked at him. "Thanks." she said, while opening her seatbelt. She then turned her head to look at the house as she reached for the handle of the car door and opened it. Getting out of the car she pushed the door shut again and was about to turn towards the house when she heard the other car door open as well and Charles got out, too.

Charles wordlessly locked the car, making his way over to Dawn. When he had reached her he gave her a small smile, resting his hand on her shoulder once more as they made their way towards the door.

Upon reaching it Dawn paused as she pulled the keys out of her pocket, but didn't move to open the door right away, feeling a sense of dread at the prospect of being alone with her thoughts and worry. Especially as she doubted she would be able to sleep, even as exhausted as she was. Still looking at the house a slight frown made its way onto her face.

Noticing the worried, lost expression on Dawn's face Charles pulled her against him. "Dawn, it's going to be okay. Cassie risked her life to get Faye where she is, she'll make it. And I'm pretty sure Cassie would do it again to save her." he whispered, knowing how hard this was on her. And he only prayed the rest of them would be alright.

"I should let you get some rest." he then said gently, hugging her close for another moment, before releasing her. For a second he considered to ask if she would like him to stay, but then didn't, after all, he knew how private Dawn was and he didn't want to crowd her.

As Charles drew her close, Dawn leaned momentarily her head against his shoulder. She hoped he was right, she couldn't lose Faye... At his words she gave a slight nod. A moment later Charles turned to leave, and she turned her attention to the door, fumbling with the keys in her hand for a few seconds, searching the one for the front door of the house, before looking up and turning to look after Charles.

"Charles..." she spoke up, almost hesitantly, and as he paused and turned back towards her she asked, "Would you ... stay with me for a while?"

When Dawn called out his name Charles came to a halt, looking back at her. "Of course, Dawn." he told her gently, giving her a reassuring look, while walking back to her.

Meanwhile Dawn was still absentmindedly playing with the keys, probably having had the right one in her hands several times by now without even realizing it. However, she stopped abruptly when it occured to her that she didn't even actually need the damn key anymore, now that she had magic again, and letting the hand with the keys sink she looked up at the door, watching as it swung open at a mere wordless command.

As they walked inside Charles put an arm around Dawn's shoulders, closing the door behind them, before leading her to the couch in the living room.

"Thanks." Dawn said with a tired smile as they walked into the living room. Upon reaching the couch she merely kicked off her shoes before laying down, too exhausted as to head upstairs to her actual bed. However, even so it took seemingly forever for her to fall asleep, and when she did she was turning restlessly from side to side, drifting in and out of sleep. Though it wasn't really surprising, stress had always led to insomnia for her. After the fire she hadn't gotten any real sleep in almost a week, always only drifting off for half an hour, one and a half at the most...

* * *

Dawn wasn't sure how long she had slept when she bolted awake, though a glance at the clock standing on one of the shelves near the TV told her it was late in the afternoon by now.

After Dawn had laid down and drifted off to sleep Charles had picked up a blanket from the armrest and draped it over the blond, before sitting down in an armchair. For a while he had watched her sleep, occasionally frowning in concern as she turned restlessly from side to side. However, eventually the exhaustion of the sleepless night had hit and he had fallen asleep as well, not moving the entire time. It was only upon hearing noise of movement that he snapped awake.

Looking up to Dawn and noticing she was awake he asked concerned, his voice slightly groggy, "Dawn... are you alright?"

Dawn ran a hand over her face. At Charles's question she glanced over at him, her brows knitting momentarily into a thoughtful frown as she considered it for a moment. Eventually she gave a slight nod.

Eyeing Dawn for a moment Charles rose to his feet, asking, "Do you need anything? I could make coffee, or tea. Perhaps something to eat?"

"Coffee sounds good." Dawn said softly, giving a slight smile, although it didn't fully reach her eyes, as the concern for Faye was still weighing heavily on her.

At her response Charles gave a nod, and got up as he told her, "Alright. I'll be right back."

Dawn watched him head towards the kitchen. For a moment she kept sitting where she was, lost in her thoughts, before glancing another time at the clock. She then reached for the wireless phone lying on the coffee table and dialed the number of the hospital to check if there were any news on Faye's condition.

She had just finished talking to the head nurse of the ICU and set the phone back down, when Charles returned, carrying two steaming mugs with coffee and a plate with several slices of toast, having come to the conclusion that it probably would be a good idea if Dawn ate something.

Setting the cups and plate down on the coffee table Charles motioned towards the phone and asked, "The hospital?"

Dawn gave a nod in response to the question. "Faye's out of surgery. She's stable, but still in the coma. They're keeping a close eye on her condition." she told him, in a low monotone, as if all the stress and worry of the past night had sucked all emotion from her voice.

While Dawn was speaking Charles sat down beside her on the couch and resting his hand upon her shoulder, giving it a soft, reassuring squeeze, he said, "It's going to be okay." Letting his hand sink after a moment he motioned towards the plate, telling her, "I figured you'd probably be hungry."

"Thanks." Dawn replied, giving another small smile.

For a while they sat there in silence, drinking their coffee and sharing the toast.

Finishing a slice of toast Dawn frowned thoughtfully as she picked up her cup of coffee, and after a moment she asked, almost absentmindedly, "You remember the snowman Faye and Diana built when they were little?" However, she had little doubt that he would remember, considering...

 _Faye and Diana had been six years old. It had been a particularly cold winter with lots of snow, so when Diana came for a sleepover the two girls had spent almost all afternoon building a snowman in front of the house. The next noon Faye and Diana had just gotten ready to go outside when Charles arrived to pick up Diana. Opening the door to let him in Dawn stepped aside as their respective daughters eagerly ran outside, Diana only briefly pausing to hug her dad before following after Faye._

 _"Coffee?" Dawn offered as she closed the door. As Charles nodded she turned to head to the kitchen, asking, "What do you think of the girls' snowman?"_

 _At the question Charles frowned, inquiring, "What snowman?"_

 _"The one Diana and Faye built yesterday." Dawn replied, raising an eyebrow, "You can't have possibly missed it, Charles, it's right on the front lawn and almost as tall as the girls."_

 _Charles was just about to reply when they heard Diana cry out and Faye called, "Mom!" a clearly upset edge to her voice, causing both of them to turn back towards the door in alarm to check on the kids._

 _"Our snowman is gone!" Faye announced, angrily coming towards them, while Diana ran over to her father, looking as if she might start crying._

 _At that Dawn frowned, "Faye, what are you talking about? Snowmen can't just get up and leave..."_

 _"Noo - someone stole it!" Faye accused, her tone adding a silent 'du-uh', while lifting her left hand and pointing to where the snowman had been. In the snow were tread marks of a cart, leading up to where it had stood and back to the sidewalk. Meanwhile the two girls walked back inside, no longer in the mood to play in the snow._

 _"You want to build a new snowman later, Faye?" Dawn asked, watching Faye and Diana take off their jackets and boots._

 _Faye paused briefly in taking off her boots, turning to look at her mother, eyes narrowing. "So someone can go and steal it, too? NO!" she huffed, pulling off her second boot and throwing it across the entrance hall, the boot marginally missing the mirror on the wall. Faye then clasped Diana's hand, drawing her along as she trudged towards her room all the while grumbling angrily about how stupid people should learn to build their own darn snowmen._

 _Dawn momentarily looked after the two girls, then took another glance outside to where the snowman had been, before eventually closing the door. Shaking slightly her head she looked at Charles, a slightly disbelieving frown on her face. "Who on Earth would steal a snowman?"_

Needless to say that had been the last snowman Faye had bothered to build.

"Of course." Charles replied, frowning slightly as he looked at Dawn, wondering where this was coming from.

Dawn herself wasn't quite sure why, of all the things she could think of, this particular memory had come to her mind. Maybe it was the absurdity of the whole incident... At the memory a heavy sigh escaped her, eyes filling with tears. After another moment she looked back at Charles, a pained expression on her face. "Faye might die, Charles." she said quietly, the first tears trickling down her face as she was barely keeping herself together.

Charles instantly took the cup from Dawn's trembling hands and drew her into his arms, resting his chin upon her head as he held her, trying to comfort her. "Faye's not going to die, Dawn. It's going to be okay." He kept holding her, running his hand soothingly over her back, until her sobs began to subside.

"I don't know what to do, Charles." she admitted, once she was able to speak again, looking up at him, "What's the point to have magic again, when I still can't do anything to help my daughter!?" as she spoke frustration mixed with the concern and pain in her voice.

Charles looked sadly at Dawn, seeing the pain in her blue eyes, the fear. Brushing a strand of hair out of her face he said softly, "I know you're worried, but I'm sure it will be okay." as he spoke he drew her close once more.

"I can't lose Faye." she murmured quietly after a moment of silence, her head resting against his shoulder.

Frowning Charles pulled slightly back, moving his right hand from the back of her head to her cheek, and gently lifted her face so he could look at her. "Listen to me, Dawn, you're not going to lose Faye. She's strong, she will pull through this." he told her sincerely, his eyes locked on hers. As he spoke he softly wiped the tears from her cheeks, before leaning down and brushing a kiss against the top of her forehead.

Dawn briefly closed her eyes at the gentle caress of his fingers on her face, the feeling of his lips brushing against her forehead. When he pulled back again she opened her eyes, looking up at him and meeting his eyes. For a moment she just looked at him, noticing the concern and affection his eyes, his expression held, but soon got distracted by the feeling of his fingertips still brushing over the side of her face and found her gaze drifting to his lips, suddenly becoming all too aware of the palpable tension that had formed in the silence between them, the warmth radiating from him. However, it wasn't until their lips brushed against one another in a tentative kiss that she realized that they had moved.

After a moment they pulled slightly apart, exchanging a look, before Charles leaned down and kissed her once more, his lips moving gently against her own as she kissed him back. For a while they kept sitting there on the couch, completely absorbed in the moment, the sensation of comfort and mutual affection the contact between them sent through them. As their kisses slowly became more passionate they got up in silent agreement, slowly making their way towards the stairs leading up to where her bedroom was, never breaking contact for more than a few moments.

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes:**_ _Well, I hope you like the story so far. As always, feedback would be very much appreciated as it's a great motivator to actually worked on new chapters, if I know what people think and whether they want me to continue the story. So, it would be great if you could take a moment to share your thoughts. :)_


	3. Shocking News

_**Author's** **Notes:**_ _Here's the next reposted chapter (also the last chapter I'd already previously posted for this story). Among other things, this chapter also introduces the Balcoin siblings. Anyways, enjoy reading!_

* * *

 **Within Darkness**

 _3\. Shocking News_

After Adam had driven her home Cassie had headed straight up to her room, barely taking the time to kick off her shoes and not even bothering to change into pajamas before laying down in bed. Her head had barely hit the pillow when sleep already claimed her, the strain of her extensive use of magic to save Faye clearly demanding its due. It wasn't long before the blond began tossing and turning in her sleep, occasionally muttering quietly to herself.

 _She was driving on a dark, lonely street lined at each side with old trees. She felt a trace of confusion, not knowing why she was there or even how she had gotten on this road. Yet these questions were soon drowned out by an ever growing sense of anxiousness coursing through her. She kept looking around, kept checking the rearview mirror. Someone was following her. Chasing her. She had to get away, had to escape!_

 _Then she saw it, the movement in the rearview mirror, the car speeding toward the one she was currently driving. - No, the car that Faye was driving. This was Faye's memory. ... Nonetheless she could feel everything that Faye had felt. She felt the initial anxiousness turn into fear, then panic. Felt the force of the collision as the other car crashed into her's - Faye's - and then the tumbling and crashing. She felt the pain that exploded within her, was aware of every bone as it cracked and broke. Heard and felt her own screams as they rose within her and tore from her lips..._

Cassie woke with a start, gasping for air, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. As the panic brought forth by the nightmare slowly began to subside, her heartbeat and breathing slowly starting to normalize, the confusion set in. Not only had the dream been far more vivid than any other dream she had ever had, but part of her had been aware the whole time that it was a dream. No, not a dream, more like a vision... Somehow she had tapped into Faye's memory of what had happened that night. How was that even possible? Was it because she had used her dark magic to keep the other girl alive? However, before long a sense of horror and shock began to rise within her, drowning out the confusion and wonderment, a chill running down her spine at the realization what her dream meant. It hadn't been an accident at all. Someone had intentionally run Faye off the road. Someone had tried to kill Faye...

But who - and why? The other four Balcoin children came to her mind. But no, it couldn't have been them. If it had been one of her dark half-siblings they surely won't have bothered to crash Faye's car like that. They would have just used their dark magic to kill her. Right? On the other hand, who else could have an interest in killing Faye, or any of them, really? The hunters were dead, the demons destroyed. It couldn't have been that voodoo practitioner, Callum, could it? After all, Jake and Adam had marked the guy, if he had come back anywhere near town they would have known instantly...

After a while Cassie let out a heavy sigh, turning her gaze to the alarm clock on her nightstand to see what time it was, considering that, while it was light outside, she wasn't sure whether the sun was rising or setting. It surprised her slightly to see that it was already nearly six in the morning, meaning she had slept most of the past day and all through the night without waking up once. But apparently she had needed the sleep... And with everything considered - the shock of finding Faye the way they had, the strain of keeping the other girl alive long enough to get her to the hospital, being up most of the night while Faye was in surgery - it was probably no real surprise that she had been completely exhausted. Frankly she was still feeling a little worn out. However, after her dream and with all the questions swirling through her mind right now, she knew there was no way she would be able to go back to sleep. Besides there was just too much to do, to think about. Surely, it won't take long before the cops would start to realize as well that it hadn't been an accident. They would want to talk with her again, and she would have to figure out what to tell them. She could hardly tell them that she was a witch and that she had kept her friend alive with magic, let alone that she already knew what had happened, because she had dreamed about it... And, of course, she had to talk to the rest of the circle about what she had found out as soon as possible. In addition there was also the question how Faye was doing. Even though they hadn't really gotten along that well in the past, Faye was part of her circle, part of her family. When push came to shove they could count on one another and no matter their past differences the other girl hadn't deserved this to happen to her.

No, getting any further sleep was certainly out of the question, and only a moment later Cassie let out a low sigh and got out of bed. After a moment of consideration she made her way into the adjacent bathroom to take a quick shower.

The quick shower ended up lasting until the water started to turn cold. But the warmth had been comforting, relaxing, and as Cassie stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself she noted with a trace of satisfaction that at last even the most persistent remnants of blood were finally gone from her hands.

As she walked down the stairs ten minutes later, after getting dressed and ready for the day, she was still tired and worried about Faye, but at least some of her tension had dissipated and her mind was a little clearer. Making her way into the kitchen she first headed to the coffee machine and got it ready. While the coffee was brewing and running through the machine she felt her stomach give a little rumbling sound, reminding her that she hadn't eaten anything since she and Adam had been at the diner, before they had found Faye... After a brief moment of consideration she got a box of cereal from the pantry and milk from the fridge, not feeling like taking the time for anything requiring too much preparation. She set both down on the kitchen island, then got a bowl and spoon.

Once the coffee was ready Cassie poured a large mug of the strong brew, adding some sugar and milk, before sitting down. She then proceeded to pour some of the cereal into the bowl and after adding milk she started to eat, occasionally drinking some of her coffee. While she was eating she tried to figure out what she would tell the cops once they inevitably came to talk with her again. Perhaps she should call Adam and ask him to come over. It would be comforting to have someone there with her.

* * *

Only a few miles away at Melissa's house Diana had bolted awake in the early morning hours, having had the same nightmare as Cassie. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest, she could feel it resonate throughout her entire body, her breath coming in quick, strangled gasps. Taking a look around the unfamiliar surroundings only intensified the panic coursing through her.

It was only a while later, as she gradually began to calm down, that she realized where she was. That she remembered she hadn't gone home after leaving the hospital, but instead had gone with Melissa and had slept over at the Glaser residence. After arriving there they had decided to first watch some movies including _'Alice in Wonderland'_ and the _'Pirates of the Caribbean'_ movies, neither of them feeling like they would be able to sleep just yet, despite the long night at the hospital, and arguably it had been a nice distraction from the night's events. They must have fallen asleep some time during the third movie, as the TV set and DVD player were both still on, the movie's menu screen running.

"Diana? You're alright?" Melissa's concerned voice eventually disrupted her thoughts, making her jump slightly.

Turning to look at the other girl Diana gave a slight nod and replied, "Yeah... I just dreamed about Faye, her accident..." A shiver ran through her at the memory of what she had dreamed, and crossing her arms she absentmindedly ran her hands over her upper arms, as if she were cold.

Melissa eyed Diana for another few minutes, still worried. Eventually she asked, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, Melissa. Don't worry." Diana assured, giving a slight smile, trying to make her voice sound convincing.

But frankly she wasn't entirely sure if what she said was really true. She just couldn't shake off the remnants of her nightmare, the bad feeling it had sent coursing through her simply wouldn't subside. It had felt so real, as if it hadn't been merely a dream but a memory - as if it had happened to her, not to Faye. She tried her best not to think about the deeper meaning of what she had dreamed, the fact that, if it was true, someone had intentionally tried to kill the other girl. One would think that after everything that had happened throughout the past year she would be able to handle that thought, but the truth was she couldn't. It was one thing to deal with witch hunters and demons, or one's ruthless biological father trying to use her and her sister to kill their friends, but this... Somehow the thought of one of them becoming the target of a seemingly random act of violence was much worse than all the dangers that came with being a witch. Perhaps because it was something so unexpected, the kind of thing you saw and read in the news, but which you never thought would happen to yourself or someone you knew, especially in a fairly small town like Chance Harbor. And, because the thought of Faye having been intentionally hurt felt just too troubling at this point, she willed her thoughts to remain on the question of how she had even been able to dream this, to tap into Faye's memory of what had happened to her.

* * *

Upon waking up Dawn found herself alone, but admittedly didn't really think on it. At least not for the time being, as almost instantly the concern for Faye rose again within her. After she had sat up in bed she lifted a hand and briefly ran her fingers through her hair, trying to untangle it at least a little. Letting her hand sink she briefly closed her eyes, a little sigh escaping her.

A moment later she eventually got up. She headed over to the dresser and closet to select a change of clothes before making her way into the ensuite bathroom. After she had gotten dressed she stepped towards the sink, briefly glancing at her reflection, noting the dark shadows beneath her eyes, before washing her face with cold water, the chilly temperature somewhat helping against the lingering feeling of exhaustion. She dried her face then opened the cabinet over the sink, getting a bottle of tylenol and taking one of the pills, hoping it might help against the ceaseless pounding in her head...

Making her way downstairs and towards the kitchen only a few minutes later, Dawn was greeted by the scent of strong, fresh coffee wafting through the open door of the kitchen. As she entered the room a few moments later she found Charles sitting at the kitchen table, a cup standing in front of him, a faint trace of steam rising from the hot beverage within it.

When she came in Charles looked up, smiling lightly at her. He then rose up to his feet, getting a second cup and filling it with coffee, before returning to the kitchen table, where he set the cup down in front of Dawn, who had in the meantime sat down across from where he'd been sitting. As he moved to sit back down he momentarily studied Dawn's face, frowning ever so slightly in concern upon noticing the dark shadows under her eyes, the exhaustion on her face. "Are you okay, Dawn?" Of course, it was a stupid and rather unnecessary question, after all, how could she be okay given the circumstances, the fact that her daughter was in a coma?

At the question Dawn looked at him and nodded, telling him, "Just tired, and worried. I will be alright, though." as she spoke she smiled weakly at him. She then lifted her cup taking a sip of the steaming black coffee, absentmindedly reaching one hand up to her head and rubbing slightly at the side of her skull.

"Listen Dawn, about last night... It doesn't have to mean anything." Charles told her after they had been silent for a few long moments, looking at her as he spoke, "Maybe last night was simply something we both needed after everything that's happened." he suggested thoughtfully. God knew, they had both been through a lot in recent months! Personally, he was still trying to come to terms with killing Amelia and Nick, with discovering that Diana was actually John Blackwell's daughter, and the entire ordeal with Eben and the demons. Even with the demons being suppressed by his mother's spell he had still felt their influence while they had been inside his body, and, if he was honest with himself, the whole experience still haunted him. And he knew that regardless of her seemingly indifferent attitude about her actions, Dawn probably still struggled with killing Henry, with almost getting killed by Lucy, John Blackwell almost killing all of them and now Faye's accident... The last thing he wanted to do right now was to give Dawn the impression that he expected this to be more than it really was. After all, he knew she was well aware that he'd had feelings for her ever since high school. He also knew that Dawn had never reciprocated those feelings. There was little reason for that to have changed. And no matter what, he valued the friendship they had built recently too much as to be willing to sacrifice it for something he rationally knew would never be.

Dawn took a moment to reply, "You're right, it doesn't have to." she said, meeting his eyes as she added, "But maybe I want it to mean something." There was a faint trace of vulnerability in her voice as she made that admission. "I don't know what exactly it might mean, or just how or what exactly I feel... There's just so much on my mind right now." she told him thoughtfully, her eyes remaining on his face the whole time, "But I care about you, Charles." Despite all the confusion coursing through her right now with everything that had happened recently and what had happened to Faye, at least she knew that much. She had come to truly care about Charles in recent months. If she was to be honest with herself, it was something she hadn't expected to happen. Up to very recently she had always thought of Charles as barely more than a pawn, and admittedly she had pretty much used the knowledge of him having feelings for her to her advantage. However, after he had saved her from Lucy's attempt to kill her, using one of the crystals to bring her back, her perspective on him had begun to change. She knew he could've simply left her for dead rather than saving her life, and after her actions in the days leading up to that evening - after their conversation earlier on that same day, he would've had every reason, if not actually every _right_ , to do so. Which was exactly why she appreciated his help so much; because it had been so unexpected. Just like when he had saved her from Abaddon when the demon had been possessing Nick. Of course, following their disagreements regarding the use of the crystal they had and his mother, they had also been brought back together when Blackwell had returned and they had realized he was using their children, just like he had used them and their friends years before. Yet it had only been after they had gone after the hunters to save Faye and her friends - after Charles had been willing to sacrifice himself by drawing the demons out of Eben to save the children, and she had been faced with the possibility of having lost him that she actually realized how much he had come to mean to her... She didn't regret what had happened between them. But she simply wasn't sure just what exactly she felt, not with everything else that was going on. And she didn't want to lead him on in any way, because another fact was that she _was_ aware of how Charles felt about her. It wouldn't be fair of her to make him think that she knew with certainty just what she herself felt, or what she wanted the past night to mean. Given her previous actions she simply owed it to him to be honest this time around. It was the only right thing to do.

At Dawn's unexpected admission a trace of a smile fleeted across his face and he reached a hand over the table, gently taking hold of one of her hands. When she had finished he assured her, "We'll take things slow, figure out what we want." while he was speaking he lightly brushed his thumb over the back of her hand.

Dawn relaxed ever so slightly at his words, relieved that he seemed to understand, and a trace of a smile appeared on her own face. She briefly glanced down at their joined hands, before looking back up at him, giving a little nod as she replied, "That sounds good." as she spoke she slightly moved her own hand so she could interlace their fingers.

They sat in silence for a while, before Charles spoke again, offering, "Would you like me to drive you to the hospital?"

"I'd appreciate that." Dawn replied at his words, in part already due to the fact that her own car was still parked at the hospital. And, although she would rather not admit it, she also wasn't too sure she was in any state to drive at this point.

She had just taken another sip from her coffee when the sound of car doors opening and closing could be heard from outside, and a moment later the door bell rang. Letting out a low sigh Dawn rose to her feet to open. She figured it was likely someone from the police.

Charles looked up, standing and walking after Dawn so that he could support her if needed. "And now comes this..." he spoke lowly, shaking slightly his head with a trace of annoyance and disapproval showing upon his face, "They should learn to wait."

Dawn briefly glanced back at Charles as she heard him follow after her. She didn't say anything in response to his words, although her expression indicated that she agreed with what he had said. As she reached the door she suppressed another sigh, then opened it. Out on the porch stood two men, both wearing suits, the only indication that they were with the police were the only partially concealed police badges on their belts.

The older one of them showed his ID to her, introducing himself, "Mrs Chamberlain? I'm Detective Birkhoff, and this is Detective Carter. We're investigating your daughter's accident."

Dawn frowned slightly at the introduction, not really in any mood to answer questions right now. However, taking a breath she stated, "Please, come in." After all, the sooner she got this over with, the sooner she would be able to go see Faye.

"Thanks." Detective Birkhoff responded. As Dawn stepped aside the two cops walked into the house. Stopping after a few steps Birkhoff assured, "We will keep this as brief as possible."

Dawn merely nodded at this, gesturing towards the living room.

Charles's brows rose ever so slightly when he saw the officers come into the house. He looked at Dawn before heading into the living room as well. She would need the support, he knew that much. And right now he wasn't going to leave her alone. Diana would be alright for now, spending time with Melissa at the other girl's house, so he could be there for Dawn when she needed it the most.

The two detectives followed Dawn and Charles into the living room. Upon entering the room Dawn said, "Please, have a seat." She herself sat down in one of the armchairs, while Charles went to stand near Dawn.

After the two cops had sat down as well there was a brief moment of silence as the two detectives contemplated how to proceed. Both of them were aware that the situation was in all probability already quite stressful and troubling as it was for the blonde woman in front of them. The news they had certainly won't make this any easier. Eventually the older one of them spoke up, "Mrs Chamberlain, there is no easy way to say this, but, based on our findings so far, there are strong indications that someone might have deliberately caused your daughter's accident." he told her, his tone gentle yet professional, a slight frown on his face. After a brief pause he added, "In addition, according to the doctor treating her, some of her injuries may have been inflicted on her after the crash, rather than having been caused by it."

Charles tensed visibly at that, standing behind Dawn and placing a hand on her shoulder to comfort her at the news, while Dawn herself notably paled, tensing up as well, her eyes slightly widening with shock. "Do you have any leads on the matter at hand?" he questioned in Dawn's place, his tone sharp but not unkind. He knew Dawn would have trouble taking this in, and if it was in fact true, there was trouble brewing in Chance Harbor - again, which meant the kids could all be in danger.

At Charles's question Birkhoff gave a slight shake of his head, "Unfortunately nothing concrete at this point." He looked back at Dawn, inquiring, "Does your daughter have any enemies?"

"She's seventeen, of course not." Dawn replied, slightly irritated, "Certainly not anyone who would run her off the road." She supposed that answer was true enough...

Neither of the detectives seemed to take her tone personal, instead Birkhoff gave a slight nod, and wanted to know, "And you? Can you think of anyone who might want to harm you or your daughter?"

Dawn gave a slight shake of her head. "No."

Meanwhile Charles ran things through his mind, witch hunters, the Balcoin siblings ... Numerous people could have a reason to want the kids from the circle dead. Knowingly or not they had enemies everywhere in this town, and beyond the town as well. But of course they couldn't exactly tell the cops about that. He gave Dawn's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, letting her know he was still there.

Dawn briefly glanced at Charles, before focusing back on the cops.

After a minute or so of silent contemplation Birkhoff inquired, "Your daughter was on the way back into town when it happened. Did she visit anyone?"

"No." Dawn replied, "She had driven up to the family lake house, where her grandfather had lived. Up at Lake Pine. He passed away last year. Faye wanted to look for some of his books."

The two detectives exchanged a look then the older one asked, "That would have been Henry Chamberlain?" when Dawn nodded he went on, "He died of a heart attack last fall, yet his body was found buried in the lake behind his house. Your daughter and some friends found him, correct?"

At the question Dawn had to hold back a heavy sigh. Of course this had to come back to haunt her... She still couldn't quite fathom why on earth Charles had thought it to be a good idea to hide Henry's body by throwing him into the lake. Granted it probably had made sense to him at the time, and perhaps she herself would have had the same idea in his place, as the lake was just behind the house and under normal circumstances the body might have never been discovered, or at least not for years, as it had been weighted down. Neither Charles, nor she herself, could have possibly anticipated that Henry's residual magic would end up leading Faye and Cassie out to the lake and the body hidden within it. That development had been highly unfortunate, especially as the whole point of Charles moving the body had been to keep the children - or more specifically Faye, from finding him, but once it had happened nothing could have been done about it anymore and it made little point to dwell on it now.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts she told the police officers in a fairly clipped tone, "Yes, that's right." she frowned as she continued, "However, I don't see how that would have anything to do with what happened to my daughter the other night. Henry died almost a year ago." As she spoke she felt a wave of irritation coursing through her, not just because she knew for a fact that Henry's death and the subsequent hiding of his body had nothing to do with Faye and her _accident_ , but also because the two cops would know as well as she did that there had been a full investigation into the matter. Which had of course yielded no real results, other than raising the question why someone would hide the body of someone who had died of natural causes.

Again the two cops seemed unfazed by the faint, yet nonetheless noticeable, twinge of irritation in Dawn's voice. They remained silent for a brief few moments, then the younger detective inquired, "Aside from you, who knew that your daughter was driving up to the lake house?"

Dawn frowned at the question. She knew they were just doing their job, that they had to ask these questions, but it didn't change that she was starting to lose her patience. If someone was after Faye, or any of the children from the circle, it likely had to do with their witch heritage, and if that was the case this would be something better left to take care of by them. Not the police. And aside from that she wanted to go to the hospital to make sure that Faye was in fact going to be okay - and safe. However, she knew that the easiest and quickest way to get the cops to leave was to just answer their questions. Otherwise they would just end up coming back, probably sooner than later, with more questions, which was among the last things she needed right about now.

"Faye probably told her best friend, Melissa Glaser. She was going to visit her on the way back. She might have also told her boyfriend, Jake Armstrong." Dawn eventually told them, frowning as she added, "I'm not sure who else could have known. Faye decided fairly spontaneously to go. Although, I guess, someone could have followed her to the lake house. And before you ask; no, neither Jake nor Melissa would've had any reason to want to hurt her."

Charles watched the two detectives with a slight frown while Dawn was speaking. When Dawn had finished he spoke again, not missing the exasperation in her expression and within her voice, "Are you nearly done? We were just going to head to the hospital when you arrived. I'm sure, if there's nothing else you have to ask, perhaps you could go along with finding who did this to Faye?" he said rather stiffly, knowing full well that this was no longer a problem for the police to deal with.

Birkhoff nodded, "Yes. Of course." as he spoke he already got to his feet, as did his colleague. "Until we find those responsible there will be a guard posted at the hospital. As a precaution." He then reached into the pocket of his jacket, taking out his card and giving it to Dawn, "If you can think of anything, or notice anything suspicious, just call."

Dawn merely gave a nod at that as she accepted the business card, getting up as well.

Charles looked at them, nodding. "I'll walk you to the door. Dawn, why don't you go and get your things? We'll head to the hospital afterwards?" he suggested, walking the officers to the door and opening it for them. "Thank you. I hope you find who did this." he said, knowing that the children might very well be already forming the same conclusions as the cops had at this moment. And that, if they did, they would undoubtedly also already be considering what to do about it. Granted, as a lawyer he generally didn't condone people trying to take the law into their own hands in any way. But in this instance there wasn't really anything the authorities could do.

Meanwhile, after giving a nod at Charles's suggestion, Dawn went to get her things while he walked the cops to the door. By the time she had retrieved her purse and put on a jacket the cops were gone and a few moments later she and Charles got into his car to head to the hospital.

* * *

Almost at the same time that Dawn received a visit from the cops two other detectives had arrived at the Blake household to speak once more with Cassie about how she and Adam had found Faye, wanting to know whether they had seen or otherwise noticed anything suspicious. One of them was the female officer from the hospital, Officer Davies. The other cop was a man, a detective who gave his name as Trudeau. When they arrived Cassie almost breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she had gone through with calling Adam after she had finished her breakfast. Even though they weren't together romantically anymore she had no doubt that his presence would go a long way to help her through this conversation, and the fact that he was already there would save time - which meant she won't have to be alone with the cops to wait for him. In addition it also saved the police officers the time and effort of having to send someone over to Adam's place as they would have needed to if he weren't with her.

Throughout the cops' visit Cassie had been able to feel the pinpricks of her dark magic rising to the surface ever so slightly. She had pushed it down though. There was no need for her defenses to rise, unless they brought up how the two of them had gotten Faye out of the car on their own. Of course, if push came to shove they could just claim it had been the adrenaline rush, the fear for their friend. After all, there were cases of mothers exhibiting almost miraculous amounts of strength in the face of a threat to their child. Surely the same principle could be applied to friends... However, the longer the cops had stayed the harder it had become to remain in control of her magic, the darkness, and there had been a point, when the cops had asked them whether they could think of anyone who could have an interest in hurting Faye - and therefore confirming what deep down she had already known after her nightmare, that she had almost lost it. She knew the only reason that she hadn't been overpowered by the dark magic swirling within her had been Adam's presence, his support, the comfort both those things gave her. But it had been such a struggle, proving so much harder than ever before. No doubt it was because of just how much she had used to save Faye. Yet even so, she had no regrets about saving the other girl. It had been the only way, after all...

Once the cops had finally left Cassie had shrunk in on herself, sighing heavily as she pulled her legs toward herself and lifted her hands to run through her hair and over her face in exasperation.

Their conversation with the two detectives had left both teens even more unsettled than they had been before, and shortly after the cops had left they called Melissa and Jake, asking them to come over so they could discuss what the police had told Cassie and Adam. The others had to know. All of it.

Jake was the first to arrive as he lived right next door, while Melissa and Diana arrived shortly thereafter. All three of them expressed concern for Cassie, obviously able to tell that she was barely keeping herself together. However, she shrugged it off, after all, they had far more important, more serious things to focus on. And, because she didn't want to dwell too much on the state she was in, Cassie swiftly recounted to them what the cops had told her and Adam while the dark haired boy occasionally added something to the blond's account.

When she finished Cassie remained silent for a long moment her brows knitting into a deep frown as she considered just how exactly to tell them about her nightmare. So far she hadn't even told Adam, even though he had been at her place for quite a while before the police had shown up to talk with them. The truth was, she didn't want to talk about it more than necessary, because talking about the nightmare also meant thinking about it. Eventually she sighed deeply, heavily, figuring she should just tell them as simply as possible. Get it over with... And taking a breath she acknowledged, "However, to be honest, I wasn't surprised by what they said, that it wasn't really an accident. Deep down I already knew that." while speaking she wrapped her arms around her knees, looking from one member of her circle to the other, wanting to see their reactions to her revelation, "I dreamed about it. About Faye's presumed accident... as if I somehow had tapped into her memories." trailing off she sighed deeply, seemingly becoming even smaller under the weight of her words.

Diana involuntarily tensed with shock at what Cassie told them, her eyes widening ever so slightly. She had already been on edge when she and Melissa had arrived, her tension increasing with every passing minute as Cassie and Adam had told her and the others about the visit from the cops. She took a breath, trying to compose herself, yet her voice still sounded unsteady as she muttered, "I had a dream about what happened, too." her eyes locked on her half-sister's face, "It didn't feel like a dream, more as if it were a memory. My memories, though, not Faye's. As if I _was_ Faye... I could tell I was being chased and then I saw the other car. How the driver intentionally crashed it into Faye's. And I could feel it, all of it..." at that point Diana stopped, unable to suppress a shudder, still horrorified by the dream, especially now that she knew that it really hadn't been an accident, just like her nightmare had implied - and that she hadn't been the only one to have that dream.

"Wait, you had the exact same dream as I did?" Cassie remarked, clearly startled and admittedly confused. Because the way Diana described her dream it sounded precisely like that was the case. Frowning slightly she turned to look at the others and asked, "Did anyone else dream about it?"

Jake, Melissa and Adam each shook their heads no, their faces showing varying degrees of startled confusion. Melissa who had been looking at Diana, already a frown on her face as she realized this must have been the reason why she had been so spooked since earlier, now turned to look at the others, inquiring, "What does this mean, though?"

"I don't know..." Cassie acknowledged after a moment of silence, running her hand once more over her face, "At first I thought I had the dream because I used my magic to keep Faye alive. But now... I mean, it wouldn't explain why Diana had the same dream, after all." Falling silent the blonde de facto leader of the circle let out a low sigh, wondering what this might mean, how this was possible. When Diana had announced that she'd had the same dream she had been relieved, glad that she apparently wasn't the only one. Because it had raised the possibility that maybe it had to do with the circle, that maybe even though they were no longer bound to one another as a circle they were still connected and this connection allowed them to tap into Faye's memories so they could help her. It had been a comforting thought. Now on the other hand it was unsettling her. If it had really had to do with them being connected to one another even though they were now unbound, they would undoubtedly all had the dream. But they hadn't. Only she herself and Diana had. Which raised another, far more troubling possibility, and based on the tense, agitated expression upon Diana's face the same thought was on her half-sister's mind as well. What if they'd had that dream because of their dark magic? And even worse, what if it had been their dark siblings, after all, who had done this to Faye?

"What are we going to do?" Melissa questioned after they had all been silent for quite a while as they each tried to process the revelations of this meeting.

"We'll find who did this to Faye." this came in a dark, dangerous tone from Jake, who had so far been standing a little ways away from the others, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed casually in front of his chest. Now, however, he had stepped closer to the others, his arms at his sides, hands curled up into tight, angry fists while his whole body was rigid with the rage coursing through him in the face of someone having hurt Faye intentionally.

At Jake's angry response Diana gave a slight shake of her head. "We _will_ look for whoever it was." she said before the blonde boy could protest in any way. She looked at the others as she spoke, her eyes stopping for a moment on Jake, "But first we ought to make sure that Faye will be safe until we found that person. Clearly, this wasn't just a random attack. Someone wants Faye dead. Which means they might try again, considering that she survived. We can't leave her at the hospital with only the police as protection. Especially if this has to do with us being witches."

The other four teenagers nodded their agreement, including Jake even though he was still looking ready to tear the culprit limb from limb.

"Diana is right, we can't trust the police to keep Faye safe." Cassie pointed out, "Any ideas?" she asked the others. She was still getting used to being the one in charge of the circle's activities. And, no matter how powerful she might be, there also was the fact that she was, after all, still new to being a witch and she assumed the others would likely be more knowlegable in this regard.

There was a brief moment of silence as each one of them contemplated possibilities, eventually Melissa suggested, "For starters, we could cast a protective spell on her hospital room and Faye herself to keep threats away from her."

Cassie nodded at what the shorter girl said, as did Diana. Adam also gave a nod in agreement, while Jake didn't really show much of a reaction, although Cassie still believed that he agreed. After all, she knew how much Jake actually cared about Faye. Undoubtedly he wanted just as much to keep her safe as he wanted revenge. But he still was Jake, and it made sense he would be more comfortable with displaying his anger and vengefulness than his concern.

After a moment Adam spoke up, a frown on his face as he pointed out, "We should probably also try to find out how Cassie and Diana were able to access Faye's memory of what happened in their dream."

If she was honest Cassie would have rather not dwelled any further on this whole thing with the dream. She'd rather not think about the possible implications of this. But ultimately she knew that, unfortunately, Adam was right. It would be wise to try getting to the bottom of this matter, probably rather sooner than later, too. After all, when had dodging these things ever done her or any of them any good? Never. And aside from that, at least then she would know for sure and won't have to worry anymore about what it could mean. Which was why she simply gave another nod rather than trying to dismiss the idea.

A few moments later they got to work. Cassie, Diana and Jake each started looking through their respective family gremoires, while Melissa and Adam began to look through the vast collection of books on magic and witchcraft they had acquired since they had first started to discover that they were witches. Originally most of those books had, along with all their other supplies for practicing, been kept at the abandoned house so each one of them could have easily access to them. However, now almost all their things from the house were at Cassie's place. Following the showdown with Blackwell and the hunters, and knowing that Blackwell's other children were on the way to Chance Harbor they had unanimously agreed to stop using the abandoned house as meeting place. After all, it used to be Blackwell's home, which meant the half-siblings of Cassie and Diana would likely know about it. And in the face of the recent events, Blackwell's attempt to use the crystal skull to kill every last good witch in town, neither of them was all that comfortable with the idea of continuing to go there. Who knew what traps Blackwell might have ended up setting for them before his demise? And given the secluded location of the property it would be easy for anyone - random stranger and vicious enemy alike, to sneak around there, which could have serious repercussions for them. Besides, ultimately the only reason they had been using the abandoned house as meeting place after they had started practicing and experimenting with their powers, had been because they all knew their parents and grandparents wouldn't want them to use magic, the fact that given the Elders' previous actions after the boatyard fire it would be likely that, if they found out, they would in fact take away their powers like they had done with their parents. But now they didn't have to hide from their families anymore, in fact Charles, Dawn and even Kate were actively helping them. Even Jake's grandfather had helped them, warning them of what was to come. And the other members of their families silently tolerated their use of magic - as long as they did so responsibly and kept their secret from the outsiders. They had chosen to move their meetings to Cassie's because, as she lived there alone, the chance of someone disturbing them there was much lower than at the home of any of the other members of the circle. And deep down Cassie believed her grandmother would approve of the decision.

* * *

Down at the old, abandoned boatyard the roar of an approaching motorbike disrupted the haunting silence that evening, its driver revving the engine a little as they neared their destination.

At the sound the tall young man sitting on the dock by the water looked up from the dark liquid that continued to rise and swirl below at his mere will. _'There she is... About time.'_ he thought, listening to the engine's sound getting louder, closer. He had already wondered what was keeping her, as it wasn't her style to be late. Just then his full lips curved up into a smug smirk, giving his handsome face with its sharp cheekbones an almost arrogant appearance, as he drawled darkly, "You know you will never be quite sneaky enough. I will always know you're there before you get within ten feet of me." While speaking he shook his head ever so slightly in amusement, letting the water sink back down into its place, before he eventually rose casually to his feet and slowly, almost lazily, turned to face his approaching siblings.

His name was Daxton, Daxton Blackwell, and he was the eldest of the Balcoin children. Their leader. He was also the most powerful. The one their father had trusted the most. Enough so that he had shared the details of his true plans with him and had entrusted him with the mission to gather his siblings and continue their family legacy should their father fail. To follow him to Chance Harbor with the others and form the dark circle their father had envisioned, dreamed of all his life as had his forefathers. And he had every intention to succeed where they had failed.

Once he had fully turned, his gaze settled on his siblings, who had stopped in a semi-circle a few steps away from him when he had risen to his feet. For a moment his unbelievably light colored hazel eyes, which almost looked golden in the faint light of the stars and moon above yet always held such a cold darkness that served to send chills down the spine of even the bravest outsider, remained upon the twins, Chase and Shawn, before coming to rest upon the small girl with the fair blonde hair, Scarlett. She was the youngest of them, in fact the youngest of all of John Blackwell's children. Yet she was the strongest of the three dark witches in front of him, the one he trusted the most and knew he could count on to get things done no matter what. His little sister was beautiful, with a slender built and, even with the black spike-like stud piercing in her right eyebrow, the almost racy skin tight clothes and the deep burgundy streaks in her long blonde hair, the delicate features of her pretty face made her look deceivingly innocent. Which was precisely what had doomed her original circle to extinction. They had never anticipated what was coming until they had already been fated to inevitably perish in the flames, burning alive. As he and Scarlett had been watching on, listening to their screams, the crackling of the flames consuming the walls and the people enclosed by them, he had felt a sense of pride in his little sister, a dark admiration and fascination. She hadn't hesitated for an instant, she had done what had to be done without second thoughts, without complaint. She had shown neither mercy to the people who had claimed to be her friends, her family, yet would have only held her back, would have held her down - who would have never truly appreciated her for who she really was, nor any remorse for turning on them and wiping them out with a mere wave of her hand, a mere thought. Yes, in that moment, seeing the pleasant smile playing on her lips, the reflection of the flames dancing in her eyes, he had been proud to call her his sister and he was absolutely certain that their father would be just as proud of Scarlett.

After a brief moment of silence Daxton spoke again, "Company is coming. Be nice or you'll regret it."

"Of course, Brother Dearest. When can we play?" Scarlett inquired, having given one brief nod in acknowledgement to her brother's instructions. A wicked little smile graced her face while she spoke. She already knew her target, her task, and she was prepared to go seek him out and do exactly as planned. As a matter of fact she was looking forward to it, eager to get started. Within her palm was a small flame, dancing along her fingers yet leaving no marks upon her pale white skin as they caressed it.

Meanwhile Chase held back a scoff, rolling his eyes as he commented dryly, "Yeah, Daxton, we get it. Your girl is joining us, Brother. Understood." As he finished he turned to look at his ever silent twin standing by his side and, tilting his head as he swiftly signed back to him, he added, "Shawn is wondering whether he is needed to welcome her or not?" He knew that while his twin brother barely ever spoke a word, Shawn was just as committed to their cause and prepared to do whatever necessary as he himself, Scarlett and Daxton were.

At the question Daxton frowned ever so slightly, then waved a hand, giving his permission for them to leave as he announced decidedly, "Viper, Darkyn, you may leave. Prepare for your missions if you must. Crow... you stay." he said, now using their nicknames as he generally did, "I want you to meet Fang. She can be useful to all of us. You'd do well to remember this." the last part was again clearly addressed to all three of them, and he eyed them sternly even though Shawn and Chase had already turned to leave the dock.

The two Balcoins left behind didn't speak for the time being as they waited for their visitor to arrive. Before long they could see the approaching Kawasaki Ninja motorbike coming towards them.

Upon reaching her destination the slender driver stopped, cutting the engine. Pulling the key out of the ignition she got off the bike, and taking off her helmet she shook out her long, pitch black hair. She then ran the fingers of her right hand through it to get it back into form, while studying briefly her surroundings. A moment later she started to head into the direction of where Daxton was waiting with a young blonde girl, whom she assumed was his sister Scarlett.

"Sorry, I know, I'm late." the raven haired girl said as she reached the two Balcoins, "I had to take a detour. Someone crashed their car the other night just a few minutes out and the road was still closed so they could clean up the mess."

Daxton smirked ever so slightly at her announcement, "How unfortunate for the poor driver." he commented, his tone clearly by far more gleeful than sympathetic. Still smirking he than introduced the two girls, "Fang, this is my sister, Crow. Crow, Fang." he looked at his sister as he reiterated, "Do play nice, or you will regret it."

At the warning Scarlett sighed lowly, considering it rather unnecessary of her brother to repeat his warning as she was certain he'd know she had gotten it the first time, however, she nonetheless gave a nod in acknowlegdement before turning her attention to the other girl, "Pleasure." she said a little stiffly, slightly wary at the thought of someone who wasn't a part of their family to be involved in their plans. And admittedly she wasn't entirely sure she was quite ready yet to share her brother with anyone else. Yet she was well aware that the fact that Daxton had allowed this girl to join them here made quite clear that she was of notable importance to him and that obviously he also trusted her a great deal, which was why she would, at least for the time being, in fact play nice.

Fang gave a slight nod, replying casually, "Likewise, Crow."

"Viper and Darkyn are off doing their own thing, preparing for what Hades has planned." Scarlett filled her in, using Daxton's nickname. She added, "Do remember not to use our real names if you see us out in town. We pride ourselves on anonymity here, until our plans are ready to come to fruition." Seeing the other girl nod she then turned to glance at Daxton, telling him, "I'm going now, to do my part of the plan." With that she was off, not bothering to wait for Daxton to say anything.

As his sister walked away Daxton lifted his right hand, which Fang took without hesitation. "My other two sisters are here in town. Soon enough they will be amongst us. It is inevitable." he stated matter-of-factly. He then remained silent for a few moments, frowning ever so slightly as he glanced at their joined hands, thinking about their relationship. He and Fang - or rather, Lia as she was actually called, had met roughly two years ago when he had been in New York City. They had connected over dark magic and had hit it off, even though she wasn't an actual witch. Of course, the fact that she was quite beautiful and shared similar ambitions as he did himself, hadn't hurt things one bit. After their initial encounter they had stayed in touch and over time they had developed a friends-with-benefits sort of relationship. In fact he had been the one to give her the nickname Fang. She had ended up helping him when his father had contacted him and had first tasked him with finding his siblings.

"Tell me, Fang, do you ever desire this to be more than it is?" he questioned eventually, breaking the silence that had formed after Scarlett's departure, studying Lia's face, "Because you know, I can't afford to have people emotionally attached to me, not right now." he spoke the words in an almost warning tone as he looked at the female at his side. Though she was human he had let her into their little group, mainly because her mind could be affected more with his siblings' magic. In addition she was a gifted voodoo practitioner, even though her abilities were of course nothing compared to the powers of an actual witch. And, while he resented the notion of forming any kind of attachment to outsiders, there nonetheless was a tiny part of him that in fact cared about her.

Lia frowned at his question. "Actually, I don't." she told him after only a brief moment of consideration, "I mean, being with you is fun and all, but things are better left the way they are." And frankly she just wasn't one for serious relationships or getting overly attached to people.

"Good." Daxton replied, smirking slightly. "That's good to know, Fang. I can't have casualties in the line of duty." he said, looking around for a moment before pulling her towards the abandoned boat they were using as a home. "We're staying here until we find a more suitable place. For now it's sleeping wherever you can find a place to do so." he explained while leading her inside and nodding towards the vast amounts of blankets and pillows thrown about the abandoned boat.

Following him inside Lia studied their surroundings, frowning momentarily in thought as she listened to what he said. When he had finished she nodded in acknowledgement, then asked, "Is this the boatyard where the fire happened?" She remembered Daxton telling her about the boatyard fire when he had told her about his father's orders to come to Chance Harbor and form a circle with his siblings.

As he laid down on one of the makeshift beds, Daxton nodded towards her as he confirmed darkly, "Yes, the exact place. We found it fitting enough, considering our lineage. And in addition we can be certain to not be disturbed here."

"Certainly." Lia agreed on both counts, it was a more than suitable place for the four Balcoins. Even she could feel the dark energy of this place... Though in a way it could be expected, after all, people had died a violent and painful death there.

A dark chuckle escaped past Daxton's lips as he looked over at Lia for a moment's time, knowing she was able to sense all the dark energy as well. He then said decidedly, "But enough talk. It is time to rest and tomorrow plans will be set in motion." as he finished he held an arm out towards her, a silent invitation for her to lay with him while the night faded into morning.

When Lia came to settle down by his side Daxton closed his eyes, slipping one arm around her slender frame as he thought about his plans coming to fruition before long. "Soon... If Crow and the twins do their part, everything will fall into place soon." he grumbled darkly, a calculating smile on his lips as he allowed sleep to claim him for the day.

Yes, soon enough, this town would know of them, and soon enough they would have the siblings needed to create their dark circle. Nothing would be able to stop them from achieving their goals...

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes:** As always, I hope you enjoyed reading, and I'd be happy to hear your thoughts on how you like the story so far. I'm still working on the next chapter, though I'm hoping to finish it soon. However, I am rather focused on other stories right now, and overall I'm not entirely sure whether there is still any real interest in this story, so I might end up putting this on the backburner for the time being..._


	4. Waking Up

_**Author's Note:**_ _I know, I know! This update has been way overdue! But, even though the first third or so of this new chapter has been sitting on my flashdrive for at least close to a year, I admittedly was just too preoccupied with other things as to sit down and finish it. Especially, as there also doesn't really seem to be that much interest in this story anymore (or even the overall Secret Circle fandom in general)... In any case, lately I have been feeling inspired and so, finally, here is the update! I really do hope that those who waited for an update will consider the new chapter worth the long wait... Enjoy reading!_

* * *

 **Within Darkness**

 _4\. Waking up_

Faye was resting, her body slightly curled up, eyes closed, as she was all but floating in the light surrounding her. It wasn't a harsh, blinding light, rather a soft, comforting glow, coming from nowhere in particular, yet seemingly from everywhere at once. At first it had been merely a relatively small sphere, just big enough to envelop her completely without suffocating her. But then it had gradually grown, expanding around her until she could barely make out its boundaries, though the light itself hadn't become any brighter or otherwise more intense. It was peaceful here, safe... She knew the shadows were still there, just like the voices. She still couldn't make out what they were saying as there were just too many of them; talking, muttering, beckoning, pleading, demanding, calling, screaming, chanting, murmering all at once. Occasionally the shadows came closer, but mostly they kept close to the darkness beyond the edge of the light. The voices had grown quieter than they had been in the darkness, as if the light muffled the noise.

She wasn't sure how long it had been. It could've been mere minutes, hours, days or an entire eternity... Time had no meaning to her. It was all but an abstract concept at this point. However, she could feel how something changed. The voices around her grew louder, more urgent, and the shadows became more hectic. The darkness was shifting, coming closer, while the light intensified around her. A myriad of other sounds started to mix with the voices, making her head hurt. The pain from before returned, spreading throughout her entire body, until it was all she could feel...

Faye bolted up in the hospital bed she had been sleeping in, her eyes flying open. She tried to gasp for air, but she couldn't breathe, something was obstructing her airways. She wanted to scream, however, that thing in her throat made it impossible. The noise around her grew louder, a shrill electronic alarm going off.

A nurse came rushing into the room then, soon followed by a dark haired woman in a white lab coat. The two women quickly made their way over to the bed, holding her down and the doctor said soothingly, "Faye, calm down. I'm Doctor Samantha Montgomery. You were in a car crash. You're in the hospital. But you'll be alright. Just calm down, okay?"

At first Faye struggled against their grip, instinctively trying to get free in her panicked state, but then gradually relaxed ever so slightly at Samantha's words, her initial panic soothed by the calm and intentionally reassuring tone of her voice.

When Faye slowly calmed down Samantha asked, "Do you want me to remove the tube?" Seeing Faye give a small nod in response, she said, "Okay, Faye. But you need to hold still and relax while I take it out."

Resting back against the pillows Faye tried to relax further, while Samantha moved to pull the tube of the ventilator out. Once it was fully out Faye coughed for a moment, then the nurse placed an oxygen mask over her mouth.

"Can you breathe alright?" Samantha inquired, to which Faye gave another nod. "Alright, then we can switch to a nasal cannula." she said to the nurse, before focusing back on the dark-haired girl, "What is the last thing you remember, Faye?"

"I was dri-" Faye had to pause, coughing slightly as she tried to clear her dry throat. The nurse brought her a glass of water with a straw, holding it for her so she could drink. After a few sips she pulled back, giving a small grateful smile to the nurse, then she started once more, her voice still hoarse from not having been used in weeks but nonetheless more steady than just moments before, "I was driving home. Another car hit mine..." she trailed off with a low, and yet still heavy, sigh.

"Okay, that's good, that you remember what happened." Samantha stated. Turning to the nurse she said, with a slight smile, "Nora, would you please call Mrs Chamberlain and let her know Faye woke up?" When the nurse nodded and went to leave Samantha focused her attention once again on Faye, pulling out her penlight to check the girl's pupils while continuing to ask questions to check if there were any memory problems.

* * *

It had been over five weeks now since Faye had been run off the road by someone. So far the police hadn't made any progress on finding those responsible. Unfortunately, neither had the circle. Yet, even though all of them had returned to school for their senior year by now - with the exception of Jake as he had already graduated over a year ago, they were still looking into what was going on, who could be behind the attack on Faye. And naturally they were also constantly on the look out for the Balcoin children. Diana and Cassie in particular were anxious about when their dark siblings would make their arrival known. Because, undoubtedly, they would arrive in town eventually. If they hadn't already.

While the members of the circle were in class, Dawn was sitting in her office, going over various papers on her desk. Budget plans, schedules, plans for upcoming school events, and so forth... Yet, frankly she had been glad when school had started up again and she'd had something to do, considering that it had been driving her crazy to sit at home or in Faye's room at the hospital with little to nothing keeping her occupied, nothing to distract her from her worries.

It was getting close to noon when her cell phone began ringing. Frowning slightly, Dawn set aside her pen and reached for the phone lying upon her desk. Her frown deepened, her expression taking on a notable look of concern as she saw on the display that it was the hospital. "Dawn Chamberlain," she answered the call, struggling to keep herself composed, to keep her concerns in check.

"This is Nora Carter, one of the nurses at the Chance Harbor hospital - we met a few times these past few weeks? I'm calling on behalf of Doctor Montgomery to let you know that your daughter has woken up." a woman told her.

At the news Dawn couldn't quite hold back a sigh of relief. Composing herself though, she replied, "Thank you. I am on my way." Once she had hung up she rose to her feet, gathering her things.

On her way out she told her secretary that she would be out for the rest of the day. When she had reached her car she got in and started the engine, driving toward the hospital. Upon arriving at her destination she parked and, locking the car, she headed into the building and up to the floor of the intensive care unit. Arriving at Faye's room she simply walked inside, paying no real mind to the police officer standing out in the hallway, guarding her daughter's room. The young man in uniform merely gave a brief nod in greeting, not bothering to ask for some kind of identification. As could be expected, after five weeks the officers taking turns guarding the room had memorized all the people who regularly visited Faye.

Seeing her daughter in fact awake and sitting upright in her bed, albeit propped up by the pillows, Dawn felt a wave of relief rush through her, a trace of a smile appearing on her face as she walked farther into the room.

After sending the nurse away to call Faye's mother the doctor had continued to test the young girl - her memory, her reflexes... Upon hearing someone come into her room Faye turned away from the doctor and toward the door to see who it was, her face brightening when she saw her mother. "Mom!" she called, and rather than protesting when her mother hugged her, as she usually would, she instead smiled and momentarily hugged her back, briefly closing her eyes.

"I'm so glad you've finally woken up." Dawn murmured, as she held on to her daughter for a moment, before releasing her from her embrace. It wasn't too often that Faye would tolerate such open displays of affection by her, particularly around other people. But apparently the current circumstances seemed to warrant an exception in Faye's eyes.

Faye's brows knitted into a frown, a half-smirk playing on her lips as she commented dryly, "No kidding."

At her daughter's remark Dawn again smiled a little, not missing the faint twinge of the usual snark lacing Faye's voice, which she took as a good sign. She then turned to look at Samantha, who was still in the room, and asked, "How is she doing?"

"We are still going to have to run some further tests, but so far everything seems in order." the doctor replied, "There don't appear to be any memory loss or other cognitive problems, as could have been the case with such serious head injuries."

While Samantha spoke Faye grimaced at the mentioning of more tests, not appreciating the thought of being prodded and pricked like a guinea pig in some lab. However, she supposed there won't be any point in complaining or protesting. And at any rate she was admittedly also way too exhausted as to bother making the effort, particularly when considering that it would end up being futile anyhow. Of course, rationally it seemed completely absurd to be tired after just having awoken from weeks of sleep - or rather, coma, but then again, she guessed, the two concepts weren't exactly interchangeable, as the former was a typical means of getting rest, whereas the latter was imposed on you under dire circumstances, whether by your body outright shutting down on its own accord or doing so through heavy medications...

Just as Faye had expected; before long a nurse came into the room - _with a goddamn frickin' wheelchair_ \- to take her away for further tests.

* * *

After undergoing a ridiculous number of tests - having blood drawn and enduring x-rays, MRIs and CT scans, which as far as Faye was concerned seemed like outright overkill - eventually the nurse brought her back to the room assigned to her. As the nurse wheeled her inside Faye frowned a little as they passed the uniformed police officer standing just outside the door. She had noticed the man already earlier on the way out, although she hadn't paid him much attention that time around. Nor did she do so now, quite truthfully. However, the man's presence, the fact there was an armed, uniformed cop standing guard outside her room, brought vividly to mind the memories of what had happened. Reminding her all too clearly that it had been anything but an accident - that someone had tried to _kill_ her. The thought sent an involuntary shudder through her, although she quickly suppressed it, deciding not to think any further about it. At least for the moment, as undoubtedly those thoughts would resurface again soon enough, whether she wanted them to or not.

Once the nurse and her mother had helped her from the wheelchair back into bed Faye turned her attention to the assortment of get-well cards standing on the bedside table along with a trio of flower bouquets. The first two were comprised of a colorful mix of flowers, which just about screamed Melissa and Diana, yet the one that really drew her attention was a smaller bouquet of stargazer lilies. Her favorite flowers. Almost absentmindedly Faye reached out her right hand towards the flowers, while looking up to her mother, "Those are gorgeous." she remarked.

"I told Jake the same thing when he brought them," Dawn replied, a trace of a smile playing on her lips now.

At her mother's words Faye's eyebrows shot up in bewilderment, which also resonated in her voice as she couldn't help but ask, "Jake? These are from _Jake_?" How close to death had she really been!? Jake, after all, wasn't one for romantic gestures like buying flowers for a girl. Jake happily nourished his image of not caring about anything or anyone. And while that could be frustrating - having been especially frustrating when they had been dating the first time around, a relationship which had ended in total disaster - it was unnerving and in fact outright deeply unsettling for that to have changed. The only reason she could come up with for Jake to go out of his way to go and buy her flowers was that he must have thought she was as good as dead...

It was only when her mother's voice rang lowly through the room again, telling her, "Much too close," the words laced with a pained edge, that Faye realized she had actually also voiced aloud the second question that had popped into her head upon learning that the lilies were from Jake. Looking back at her mother she saw the exhaustion, the lingering concern now clearly written upon the blonde Chamberlain woman's face, the smile having faltered and disappeared. Which was probably why, when her mother reached one hand out to her to tuck a stray strand of hair out of her face Faye didn't recoil as she would on most other occasions, but instead let it happen. And truthfully, she actually had to admit that it was a rather comforting gesture, reminding her of when she had been little, when life had been easy and carefree, without threats like demons and witch hunters in her life.

"I guess, I really owe Cassie a big thanks for doing whatever she did and saving me." Faye muttered, not wanting to dwell further on the question of how closely she had escaped death, her tone intentionally lighthearted, even teasing, although there was nonetheless a distracted edge to the words.

Surprise crossed Dawn's face at what her daughter said. Yet, before she had any chance to ask Faye how she knew that it had been Cassie who had saved her, a knock came from the door leading into the room they were in, and turning to look in that direction Dawn saw the by now all too familiar figures of Detective Birkhoff and his partner, Detective Carter, standing just outside the threshold.

"Mrs Chamberlain?" the older of the two men spoke as he stepped into the room, "We were just informed that your daughter woke up, and were hoping to ask her a few questions, if that is alright?" His gaze wandered to Faye then as he added, "And, of course, only if you feel up for it? Faye, it is?" he double-checked the girl's name, although Dawn had no doubts that both of the detectives at this point knew the names of all of them, of everyone and anyone just remotely connected to her daughter.

Wariness coursing though her, Faye considered the request as she studied the two detectives for a few moments. Eventually she gave a slight shrug, "Sure." she finally agreed. After all, she knew there was no way around being prodded with questions by the police given what had happened, so she might as well get it over with sooner rather than later.

"We'll keep this as brief as possible." the younger of the two men assured, a trace of a compassionate smile on his lips.

A moment passed in silence then the older of the men, Detective Birkhoff, spoke again, "From your mother we already know that you had headed up to your late grandfather's home up at Lake Pines, correct? She had also informed us that you might have told your friend Melissa that you were going there, which Miss Glaser confirmed as well. Was there anyone else you mentioned your day trip to?"

At the question Faye took a moment to consider the answer, needing a moment to collect her thoughts as it somehow felt like ages had passed since that fateful day, or rather that evening. Finally she gave a slight shake of her head, "No, just Melissa, as we had plans for that evening."

"Was there any way for someone else to have found out that you would be at the lake house that day?" came the next question.

With another slight shake of her head Faye replied, "No, I don't think so. I only decided to go there on the spur of a moment."

The next question came from the younger detective, who wanted to know, "Is it possible that anyone might have followed you there?"

This time Faye didn't reply right away, taking a moment to think on it, before she eventually told the two men, "I don't think so. But I didn't pay that close attention." After all, she hadn't had any reason to be concerned or suspicious. She hadn't had any reason to worry about her safety.

"Did you have a specific reason for driving up to the lake that day?"

Faye held back a sigh, truthfully finding all these questions rather tedious and annoying. However, reminding herself that there was no way around it, that they wouldn't leave until they had asked all the questions they wanted answers for, she resigned herself to just enduring this process. Besides, it wasn't like she didn't want the cops to do their job and find whoever had done this to her. "No, there wasn't any real reason." she said now, giving a slight shrug. Admittedly, that wasn't entirely true as she had in fact been looking for something quite specific; the Chamberlain grimoire. But it wasn't exactly as if she could tell as much to the cops. And having had always a bit of a penchant for mischief Faye was quite certain that neither of the two men would pick up on her downplaying the reason for the day trip. Besides, her next words were true enough, "I just wanted to look for some of my grandfather's things. Since he died we haven't actually been back to the lake house." Not since the day she and Cassie, and the rest of the circle, had found her grandpa's body. At the memory of that day, or rather that evening, Faye's brows momentarily crunched into a frown, still troubled by that whole incident if she was completely honest with herself. Not just because it had been just so awful with the way they had found him. But the whole thing had been made so much worse by the fact of how close she and her grandfather had been. Especially as her grandpa had been the closest connection she'd had to her father, given that her mother didn't like talking about him that much. Which, Faye supposed, was understandable given the circumstances of her father's death...

When Faye fell silent several moments passed in silence, before either of the detectives spoke again, undoubtedly not having missed the frown that flickered over her face, and perhaps assuming it to have been brought on by having to talk about the attempt on her life. Which, of course, wasn't entirely wrong either. It was hard to talk about this whole thing, after all, how could it _not_ be difficult? Finally the younger detective, Carter, broke the silence, inquiring, "Thinking back to that day, that evening, did you notice anything out of the ordinary? Anything suspicious? Maybe someone who was lurking around the property?"

Once again Faye shook her head in response, sighing a bit as she told them, "I didn't notice anything. But, like I said before; I wasn't really paying that much attention. I didn't think I needed to." Again it crossed her mind that, seriously, how could anyone have expected anything of this sort to happen, how should she - or anyone else for that matter - have expected someone would try to kill her? Especially in such blunt and daring fashion?

Again silence filled the room for a little while, and when the detectives asked their next question it seemed obvious as to why they had taken this particular pause, given that now they were getting to what could easily be considered the most difficult of their questions. "Faye, could you tell us about what happened that evening?" it was Carter who inquired this - in all probability the two men had agreed on this prior to even showing up, based on the assumption that as he was the younger one of them he would likely seem more sympathetic and relatable for Faye, and thus have a better chance to make her comfortable enough to open up to them. As if to underline this assumption he added after a brief pause, "We understand that this is undoubtedly difficult to talk about, but the more you can tell us about what you remember, the better are the chances for us to find the person, or persons, who did this to you." his tone of voice and facial expression compassionate and reassuring, and Faye couldn't help but wonder if cops like him were made to practice that sort of thing in front of a mirror or during some kind of class during their academy days.

At the question Faye's expression darkened ever so marginally, brows again cinching into a frown, as she sighed lowly, quite understandbly not keen on talking about this subject - or even thinking about it. Still, as if on cue the memories invaded her mind. Leaving her grandpa's house, locking up, getting into her car. Starting the engine and beginning the drive back to Chance Harbor. Then that faint movement she caught in the rearview mirror. The irritation that began rising within her at the thought that it probably were a bunch of stupid, likely drunk, high school or college guys out to have some fun by scaring unsuspecting drivers. The hint of dark amusment upon thinking of teaching those jackasses a lesson. And how it had all gone from plain irritating to really, really bad... Faye wasn't sure how long she had been just caught up in her thoughts, given that neither of the two detectives broke the silence permeating the room - apparently wanting to give her however much time she might need to gather herself and answer their latest question, when the feeling of a hand coming to rest upon her shoulder pulled her back to the present. Frown deepening, she looked up to find that her mother had moved closer, a hint of concern on her face, and once she had her attention the blonde Chamberlain asked, "You're okay, Faye?"

Throughout her daughter's silence Dawn had watched Faye closely, taking note of the deep frown on her pretty face, how her teeth began to trouble her lip as the silence stretched on. She also noticed how, as Faye seemed to subtly but increasingly tense up, the atmosphere within the room began to change, the air seeming to charge up with electricity akin to how the air would feel just before a thunderstorm. Which was the primary reason why Dawn decided to pull Faye out of her thoughts. After all, the last thing they needed at the moment was drawing scrutiny towards themselves and those close to them by even remotely revealing the existence of magic.

Still frowning Faye gave a hint of a nod in response to her mother's question. Turning her attention to the two cops in the room, she remained silent for another moment or two, before taking a breath and finally answering their question, "I was on the way back into town, I had already driven maybe half the way, when I started to feel like I was being followed. I brushed it off at first, but then I noticed another car behind me. The headlights were off.. So, I figured it was just some dumb guys wanting to pull a prank on someone." she told the cops, sighing a bit as she wanted to just get this over with, "However, after just a few minutes they sped up, pulling up next to my own car. I tried to shake them off by hitting the brakes, but something seemed wrong with them, the car wouldn't slow down, at least not as quickly as it should have... And that's when they first rammed my car. After that it's all kinda blurry..." with a sigh Faye trailed off, oddly remembering now that there had been a box with a bunch of things of her father and grandfather she had wanted to take home with her, only to end up leaving the box standing in the lake house's entrance hall, which upon realizing this had rather ticked her off, but now she supposed that was actually a good thing, as otherwise most if not all those things probably would've been damaged or even outright torched and destroyed that night.

Faye was pulled out of her thoughts when the older one of the detectives wanted to know, "Do you remember what the car looked like? Or did you perhaps even get a look at the driver?"

The question almost made Faye scoff, thinking, _'Seriously!?'_ Did they seriously expect her to point them straight to some sort of suspect or a case-breaking lead? Especially after she had literally _just_ woken up from a prolonged coma? "I don't know," Faye finally started to reply, a deep frown on her face, that clearly indicated that she was starting to lose her patience with all this, "I only know that it was a big car, an SUV .. maybe a truck. Dark-colored, but I'm not sure whether black, dark blue, or perhaps green..." she trailed off with a bit of a shrug, giving a sigh as she fell silent.

"Could you make out anything of how the driver looked, or how many people were in the car? Anything distinctive?"

"No, it was too dark, it happened too fast. And the car had tinted windows." Faye replied, fidgeting in her bed, her tone impatient, "How many more questions are there? I'm tired, my head is hurting," she pointed out, briefly lifting one hand to run her fingers through her hair as she turned towards her mother to back her up, "Mom?"

Reaching out one hand to her daughter and resting it upon Faye's shoulder, Dawn turned her attention towards the two detectives, telling them, "I think, Faye should be getting some rest now. If you have any further questions, we can schedule an appointment in the coming days." her tone calm, kind even, yet firm, "If Faye remembers anything of note in the meantime, we will give you a call."

The two men exchanged a glance but then nodded, the older one of them replying, "Of course," and after tacking on that they would be in touch the two took their leave.

Once they were gone Dawn focused her attention back on her daughter, lifting a hand to tuck a strand of hair out of Faye's face as she inquired, "Is there anything you need? Anything I should get from home for you?"

Faye considered the question for a moment or two, then she told her mother, "Can you bring me my iPod, please? Maybe some books or magazines..." she trailed off, remaining silent for a brief while, before adding, "Oh, and when I was at the lake house I found a bunch of things that belonged to Dad, but I forgot the box when I left. Could you get it?"

"Of course, Faye." Dawn assured her daughter although she admittedly was momentarily taken aback by the mentioning of her late husband. After a moment she spoke again, "Anything else?"

Again Faye took a moment to think about it. Eventually she gave a slight shake of her head, "No, I don't think so. At least not right now."

At her daughter's reply Dawn nodded in acknowledgement. "You should try to get some rest now." she told Faye, pointing out, "Especially as, undoubtedly, once school's over your friends will want to check in on you."

"Okay," Faye muttered, giving a slight nod at what her mother had said, a hint of a smile fleeting across her face.

As Faye lay back in her hospital bed and settled in to try and get some more rest, Dawn told her she would swing by the house and be back soon, before turning to leave the room. Stepping out into the hallway and making her way towards the elevators the blond woman pulled out her cell phone, dialing a number. When her call was answered she told the other person, "Faye woke up," the relief clearly evident in her voice.

* * *

By the time Faye woke up next it was already well into the afternoon hours, and before long a knock came from the door prompting the girl to look up to find Melissa, Diana, Cassie and Adam standing by the entrance of her room. Once Faye had turned her attention to them Diana was the first to speak, telling the other girl, "Hey, Faye, hope you don't mind us just showing up like this," she said, adding by way of explanation, "Your mom called my dad, telling him you had woken up. He told me, and so we decided to stop by."

Listening Faye frowned slightly, wondering why her mother would call Diana's father about her having woken up, given that while she and Diana were friends they weren't quite as close as she was with Melissa. But shrugging that aside Faye gave a slight shake of her head in response to the first part of what Diana had said. "No, not at all... Come on in." she invited her friends, who then filed into the room, not having to be encouraged twice to do so.

Melissa was the first to step towards the bed, wrapping her arms enthusiastically around her best friend while telling the other girl, "It's so good to see you're finally awake, Faye." and when the slightly shorter girl pulled away the faintest trace of tears was glistening in her eyes.

The next one in line ended up being Diana who, after giving Faye a hug as well, wanted to know, "How are you feeling?" Which she guessed might be a somewhat redundant question considering that Faye was still recovering from a near-fatal car crash, and had just woken up from a weeks-long coma. But still it was among the most pressing questions on all their minds.

At the question Faye gave a slight shrug, telling her friends, "Better, I guess. I still feel rather groggy, but aside from some discomfort, no pain." Though that might very well be due to the painkillers the doctors and nurses were so kind to give her. "The doctor said I should make a full recovery, no lasting damage."

"Well, that's good to hear, Faye," Adam said to that as he, too, went to briefly hug Faye, the other three teens present nodding in agreement with what he had said.

Finally, it was Cassie's turn to step towards the bed and do the same, the momentary embrace they shared admittedly somewhat awkward, which probably wasn't all that surprising to anyone present, considering that for most of the past year they hadn't really seen eye to eye on anything, or even gotten along in general. Or at all, really. Which was why it was even more noteworthy that Cassie had gone out of her way like she had done to save her, a fact that Faye was well aware of, and once they let go of each other she told Cassie, as the blond stepped back from the bed, "Thanks, Cassie... Whatever you did to keep me alive, it's probably the only reason why I'm still here. So, thanks."

"Of course, Faye." Cassie said in response, stopping short of telling her 'any time', because neither she herself nor anyone else in the room wanted anything like this to happen ever again to any of them. But, still, the underlying sentiment of her willingness to do the same again - or anything else for that matter - to protect, and if necessary save, her friends was still there, evident in her voice. To Cassie there was no question about that. Especially, as not only were they her friends, her circle members - even if their circle wasn't bound at this point, no they were her family. The only family she had left since her grandmother and her father had passed away. ... Or well, at any rate, they were the only family she cared to know as she had no real interest in meeting her and Diana's other paternal half-siblings. Granted, she might not be as staunchly opposed to using her dark magic, or outright resent it as Diana seemed to do, but following their showdown with their father - after what he had tried to make them do - she couldn't care less about making the acquaintance of any other Balcoins, siblings or otherwise.

Following the initial bout of hugs and expressions of relief and joy over Faye now truly seeming to be well on the road to recovery, silence momentarily fell over the room. Eventually, though Faye spoke again, inquiring, "Where's Jake?" her voice completely nonchalant - as if the question and any subsequent answer was of little real significance to her, as she was speaking. Yet, Faye was admittedly more than just the slightest bit surprised by the fact that Jake wasn't there, as well as curious about why he wasn't. After all, over the course of the summer, before her _'accident'_ , they had made considerable strides in their relationship, and if the flowers he had brought for her and the concern this implied were anything to go by she would have thought Jake would be the first one to come check in on her after her mother.

"When he called about you having woken up, he said we should go ahead and he'd stop by to see you later." Melissa answered her friend's question, her tone subtly reassuring as she was one of the only people who knew of how the disastrous end of the first relationship between Faye and Jake had affected her best friend.

At that Faye gave a slight nod in acknowledgement. Again a little while of silence passed, then she wanted to know, "So, what all did I miss while doing this whole sleeping beauty act?" her voice taking on an almost teasing, or even snarky tone, as if her having been in a coma for weeks was no big deal, the faintest hint of a smirk playing on her lips.

"Adam has a new girlfriend." Melissa easily provided a juicy tidbit of news, adding, "She's a freshman, new to town... None of us has really met her yet, though."

Meanwhile, as Melissa was speaking, Adam fidgeted ever so slightly, shifting his posture just a little, hinting at the fact that he wasn't necessarily all too comfortable with his new relationship being brought up in the presence of his two ex-girlfriends. However, despite Adam's concern Diana for her part wasn't really bothered by it, at this point having genuinely moved on, being quite happy with Grant - despite all the things she couldn't tell him about, and frankly in the time since her and Adam's break-up the brunette had come to the realization that they just hadn't been meant to be together. Cassie, on the other hand, was a whole different story... Although the blonde girl tried to put on a brave face whenever the subject came up, whenever she was reminded of their short-lived relationship, it was still painful, remembering everything she felt for Adam, while he no longer remembered his feelings for her. Yes, it had become easier to pretend, it started to hurt a little less and a little less when she was around him. But knowing Adam was moving on while she was still in love with him? That really made it hard to act like she was okay with all of it.

"What else?" Faye prompted when she wasn't given any further details on the matter of Adam's new girlfriend. Though, then again it wasn't as if she didn't understand how that entire subject would be somewhat touchy, all things considered.

"Well, your mom and my dad are dating again." Diana finally told the darker haired girl as neither of the others spoke, a hint of an amused smile playing on her lips.

At her friend's announcement Faye frowned slightly, because, truthfully, she hadn't really bought into the notion of their parents dating the first time around. Something about that whole thing had just seemed off. Though, still, she supposed at least these news answered her earlier, unspoken, question as to why her mother would take the time to call Diana's father of all people to share the news of her having woken up. In any case, clearly, Diana was convinced of the validity of what she had told her, and Faye supposed that she would find out soon enough whether it was true, especially if this was in fact an accurate assessment of things.

The group of teens continued talking for another while about all sorts of subjects; recent events, the latest gossip floating around Chance Harbor High... Yet, as evening approached they eventually prepared to take their leave, knowing that although Faye seemed to clearly do better, surely at least part of that was already brought on by her pride. And in any case, even if she was finally truly on the road to recovery she had just woken from her comatose state, so undoubtedly she still needed her rest. With this in mind - as well as the fact the rest of them had classes the next day, they finally got ready to leave and let Faye rest, assuring their friend they would stop by again in the next few days.

Once the other members of the circle had left and she was alone again Faye sighed softly, allowing herself to settle back into the cushions of her hospital bed and relax. She would have never admitted to it if anyone were to ask, but her friends' visit had taken more out of her than she had quite let on. In fact, she actually felt rather drained after all the excitement and talking. Which was why, she didn't fight it when her eyelids began to get heavy and soon she found herself drifting into a light slumber.

* * *

Faye wasn't sure how long she had been sleeping when something caused her to stir. Still in the process of fully waking up, her eyes fluttered open to find Jake sitting in the chair standing by her bed. Faye blinked a few times, "Jake?" she said.

"Faye," Jake replied, looking up to meet her eyes. Having momentarily gotten lost in his thoughts he hadn't right away noticed that she had woken. His eyes locking on hers he added, "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

The brunette gave a slight shake of her head, "No, it's fine, Jake," she assured, a hint of a smile appearing upon her face. She remained silent for a moment before wanting to know, "What time is it?" As she had a room with actual windows Faye could tell that by now the sun had long since set. Yet, it was hard to say what time exactly it might be merely based on the fact that it was completely dark by now.

After taking a brief glance at his watch Jake told her, his gaze returning back to Faye's beautiful face, "Just after eleven."

"And they still let you come and visit me?" Faye asked, her tone almost teasing, as she quirked an eyebrow in question.

At her question Jake let out a low chuckle. "Oh, Faye, you know, I can be quite persuasive." he pointed out, before adding, "Besides, most of the ICU staff seems rather sympathetic, willing to let this whole visiting hours rule slide, especially under circumstances such as these, where a guy wants to visit his girlfriend who just woke up from a coma." As he finished speaking he smirked just a little bit, yet although that faint hint of amusement and mischief did also reach his eyes, there still remained an obvious seriousness to his expression and overall demeanor.

While Jake was speaking Faye couldn't quite help but smile briefly, being able to easily picture him convincing the nurses to let him visit her despite the late hour. He was quite right, he did have his ways, with his charme... Yet, she did breathe a little sigh once he finished. "Well, it's great to see you, Jake." she told him sincerely, smiling once more. A moment later she added, her smile widening just a little, "And thanks for the flowers, they are absolutely beautiful." It still amazed her that Jake had gotten her flowers in and by itself, let alone that he had remembered her favorite kind. It was certainly something the _'old'_ Jake, back when they had been dating the first time, wouldn't have done.

"You're welcome, Faye. I'm pleased you got to see them while they're still in their full bloom, since I know they're your favorite." Jake replied, relaxing a little and smiling more earnestly as he was speaking, pleased to see that his girlfriend had not only finally awoken but also seemed to be doing much better now. Moving his chair closer to the hospital bed that Faye was resting in, he then reached out one hand to tuck a strand of hair out of her face, "So, how are you feeling?"

Enjoying his brief touch as he brushed her hair out of the way, Faye would have almost sighed at the question as to how she was feeling. She honestly was getting tired of hearing it, and more so of answering it... But she didn't complain, after all, surely - now that she had woken up from that coma - soon enough people would gradually worry less about her wellbeing and thus that question would be asked less and less frequently. Or in any case, that would hopefully be the case. After all, being asked how she was doing, while no doubt a justified question that showed how much people cared about her, also served to remind her of what had happened. So, right now, as Jake asked her that question she gave a little shrug, "I'll be okay. Still, groggy and when the pain meds wear off a bit achey. But the doctor said, I'll make a full recovery."

"Good." Jake said with a bit of a nod, relieved to hear that Faye would indeed be alright.

After a little while of silence between them Faye eventually wanted to know, "So, what have you been up to?"

Jake considered the question for a few moments, finally he said, "After what happened, we have all been pretty focused on figuring out who did this to you and why." Trailing off he gave a vague shrug.

As she was listening Faye frowned slightly. When Jake went silent, not saying anything further on the subject, her frown deepened. "And?" she prompted, "Did you guys find out anything?" After all, based on the conversation with those two detectives earlier Faye was fairly convinced that the police had no damn clue who might be responsible for running her off the road. Maybe her friends, aided by their magic, might have been more successful.

The question elicited a low, brief sigh from Jake who admitted, "Unfortunately, no. At least nothing concrete. Though, we are almost certain that it weren't Blackwell's other kids, nor that voodoo user, Callum." He frowned just a little reaching one hand out and taking one of Faye's, "Don't worry, we'll figure this out. And in the meantime, we did some protection spells." It was obvious which part he omitted from that statement; _just in case whoever it was might try again_.

They both remained silent after that, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Finally, though, Jake broke the silence when Faye yawned softly, asking, "Should I go and let you get some sleep?"

"No..." Faye said softly, almost quietly, giving a faint shake of her head, "Stay. I might doze off, but it's nice having company."

Jake nodded, "Sure." he agreed to her subtle request, or permission, for him to stay. And when Faye then scooted over, patting the now free space beside her on the bed in invitation, he got up from his chair and went to lay beside Faye, albeit on top of the covers. Once he had laid down he opened his arms, prompting Faye to move closer, leaning into him as she rested her head on his shoulder, while Jake gently wrapped his arm around her.

It didn't take long for Faye's eyes to start getting droopy, and before long she had once more fallen asleep.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:** Thanks for reading! As always, I'd be delighted to get feedback, as it really helps keeping me motivated to know that people enjoy reading my stories, or even better, getting to know what aspects of a story people like, what hopes they might have for the story and such! :)  
I will do my best to get the next chapter done and posted in a far more timely fashion, but I can't make any promises as it just really depends on inspiration and motivation to work on any given project..._


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